Between Past, Present And Future
by shadowwing1994
Summary: After years of fighting Evil, can Dan be turning into one? What's the reason for this sudden change of heart? Will the others be able to get him back, or killing him would be the only choice? will the shadow of his love help and how? DXR & SXA
1. Dan Switching Sides

**Hey guys, so ya a new story, what to do, I like making, myself busy. This is my seventh story, yay me! Ok, got to stop acting silly, so after you read this, remember that you can't kill me, no matter how much you would want to, hehe. Just read and discover why I would be on the most wanted list.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

**Between past and future**

**Chapter one: Dan switching sides**

A thud was heard, as her body fell on the ground. The sound of a metal hitting the ground echoed in this little ally. He rushed to where her body lied on the cold floor, the rain dripping from the messy strands of his brown hair.

He gently picked her up and placed her in his arms as they both sat there. He looked at her face; it was pale, paler than it will usually be, if that was even possible. Her hands felt cold as he touched it, tears rolled down his face, becoming one with the rain drops.

He looked at her face and caressed it with his hand. Guilt was eating him. How he could allow something like this to happen, and especially to the one he loved? How he lost his mind for those countless seconds and let this be her fate? How? He didn't know.

She tightened her grip on his hand making him open his eyes once again. Her blue green eyes, which normally would be full of life and energy, lost their colour as life was leaving them. His tears fell down on her shirt, which is now red instead of white, after the blood had stained it with the deepest shade of red. They were now sitting in a pool of her own blood as it kept coming from the wound near her heart.

She looked at him and smiled. He could not know how could she smile now, or how could she look in his face after what he had done, but nonetheless, she did. He said that he was sorry, but she shook her head in a way trying to tell him not to be, for it wasn't his fault. But he knew better, he knew that it was his.

People started gathering around the couple; some gasped and others cried at the realization of the person ling on the ground. The young man took no notice of their presence. He was in his own world, where only he and his love existed. He wished they had visited this world of dreams in better circumstances, but sadly, they didn't. They were here to spend those final moments together, the last moments they'll be with one another.

His tears turned into sobs, his sobs and the rain played a melody together, a sad one to be exact. One that made the atmosphere even gloomier. But, the smile never left her face. Her smile, so weak, yet it lighted up a small part of his heart, like it always does. He knew it wouldn't last for ever; therefore, he must let it work its magic while it can.

He felt her body get heavier and her hands were getting colder by every passing second. He knew it was time for her to go, but he didn't want to. He knows that his wishes don't count, but if they were; he would have wished that it was him on the floor, drenching in his blood. They held hands, tightly. The fear of loosing her was already in his heart, but it was growing bigger. With one last breath; she closed her eyes and her body lied lifelessly in his hands. A loud scream disturbed the quietness of the night. He picked her up, the two rings on their left hand shining under the moon light.

People looked at him weirdly as he passed them. They were whispering stuff among themselves. He only guessed what they were thinking about. They thought he was her murderer; but to tell the truth, he was, in a way or another.

He reached the city limits and found himself in a field. A place they liked to visit and he saw it was fair for her soul to stay there. The thought gave him shivers. He placed her on the ground and started digging a few feet away from her. His tears fell down again and disappeared when they reached the soil, like it was feeding on his sorrow, enjoying his torture and asking for more.

The soil's tiny parts were getting under his nail. He was digging her grave with his own bare hands. He wished for this day not to come. It looked like he wished for many things to happen, but they didn't and they won't. For you can't get back in time, no matter how much you wanted.

The hole got bigger and bigger. He stopped digging after a while, he did not even care to clean his hands, which turned red and had cuts in them because of what he did. He picked her up once again; his expression was blank. He put her delicate body in the hole he made and started covering it with sand, until it was not apparent any more. He grabbed a rock and placed it near her grave, for he wanted to know where it was so his own can be next to her. He must go after her, but not now. There were issues to take care of.

He got back to the base where they lived with their friends. He saw them gathered at the front gate as if waiting for his return. They were. Each one of them had tears in his eyes, like they knew what he wanted to say. They did.

Instead of being the supportive friends they were, they did nothing to comfort him. Accusations took place and he could not believe his ears. The four people that he spent his entire life with turned their backs to him. No love. No friends. And it was his entire fault. He had no other choice but to grab the ball in his pocket and throw it in the air. They tried to stop him, but he was already flying on the huge red dragon.

* * *

The group of five sat around the table present in the lab, each taking a seat, but two were empty, with the colours of red and yellow. The young man with black hair clicked the remote control, showing them a video.

The video showed their former friend standing on his dragon. Standing on top of it, folding his hands in front of his chest, not affected in the very least by the fear of falling. His dragon was blasting his fire; he was destroying everything in his way. Getting closer and closer to the base they stayed in. People were screaming and lives were lost, but he wasn't caring and he showed no mercy.

Another click and the screen went blank.

"You know that we can't let this keep happening," The black haired man said, seriousness in his voice.

"Yes, we do," Another man stated. He was wearing a mask on his face and his outfit was red in colour. He turned to look at the lady in orange hair.

"How I is our plan going, Alice?" he asked.

"The time center is ready; it can take five people now. But it's not fully operated yet. I need some time till it could go through time," she stated and stood up.

"I'll now go and complete my calculations," she said and put on her lab coat and left with tons of paper in her hands.

The rest stood up as well, wanting to leave the room. That is when the man in red came closer to Shun and whispered those words in his ear: "You know what to do,"

Shun nodded and grabbed the blond's hand and dragged him along with him, the silver haired girl followed worriedly and so did their 'leader' with the mask.

The group reached a room, where a machine lies. It was big enough for five or six people to fit in; it looked like the telephone booths one can find in the street. The doors were opened and Shun got in it and placed a black helmet he found inside it on his head, he muttered a date for Marucho to enter in the computer.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked while putting the date 7/2/2011 in the computer next to the machine. The date is from ten years ago.

"No," came Shun's simple answer. At that moment Julie and Spectra walked in the room, Spectra smirked.

"What are you doing? Alice said it was not ready!" She yelled at the masked man in front of her.

"Then for his own good, hope it is," he said coldly.

She turned to try and stop Shun, but it was too late. She only saw the doors closing themselves.

'No Shun, don't kill him! Not him too,' she thought as the booth like machine disappeared.

* * *

**Harsh and confusing. What to say I write like this. **

**Runo: You killed me!**

**Me: I didn't kill you, someone else in the story did. **

**Runo: like it matters! I'm going to shot you myself.**

**Me: I guess the readers will do that for you -_-' but I promise I'll try to end it happily, though I still don't know how *sigh* Anyway R&R please and tell me what you think will happen.**


	2. Shun of the future!

**Chappie number two! Ok so this is gonna be away from all the depression in the first chapter, back to my normal Drama/ Humor chapters, so ya I can't help it, Humor runs in my blood. **

**I LOVED the first episode of bakugan mechtanium surge, Shun is so hot in it, he was wearing WHITE ya people, no black in his outfit and the best thing that the Haos, subterra, darkus brawlers didn't appear yet, I hope that the BBB's team will return, pray with me people. **

**Review replies:**

**Alicefrombakugan: **thx for reviewing, glad you liked it. I'm happy that you felt the emotions in this chapter, really. Well, to summon it up, Dan killed Runo. Yup, a time centre, I'm excited too, hehe. Hope you like this one.

**Katzike123: **Thx for reviewing, hope this was soon enough for you. O.o you actually wants Shun to kill Dan, wow. Hop you like this one.

**Colorfullife1993: **thx for reviewing =] glad you liked it, BFF.

**Fluffy cloud: **Ya it was harsh. Thx for reviewing, hope you like this one.

**Helios: **actually, I wasn't sure of the title yet, but now it's settled. Hope you like this one.

**Dan and Runo 4 eva: **awwwwwww, you cried! Yay, glad that someone cried, that means that you felt it. Don't feel bad, my sis cried too. I know, I must be killed, hope you enjoy it.

**xXPhantomGirlXx93: **wow, you are speechless, that's a first, hehe. Sadly, I can't revive Runo; it's not possible at this moment, hehe. Hope you enjoy this one, and thx for reviewing.

**Now on with the story, and I changed the title, so you would know. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

**Between Past, Present and Future**

**Chapter two: Shun of the future!**

The six brawlers made their way through the park. They were holding smoothies, excluding the black haired boy, who was holding a glass of green tea. They stopped when they reached their usual spot. A wooden table under the shade of an old oak tree.

They had decided to have a reunion after Dan, Shun and Marucho got back from their latest adventure in Neathia, to catch up and meet once more.

Runo sat down, Marucho sat beside her. Dan sat across from the two, Shun next to him. When Alice approached the table; Julie gave her a light push. She lost her balance and nearly fell on Shun, but instead she found herself in his arm as he held her drink in his other hand. Alice instantly blushed and got up, quickly, and sat down next to Marucho.

"Nonononono. You were supposed to kiss and confess!" Julie said with her high pitched voice. This made Alice blush a deeper shade of red. A light trace of pink crossed Shun's cheeks too.

"Julie, how many times I had to tell you, we are just friends!" Alice said looking down in an attempt to hide her blush. Julie frowned and sat down next to Shun.

"I really don't get you two, you look cute together!" she said in a matter of fact tone, again causing them to blush.

"She's right you know," Dan whispered in Shun's ears. Shun gave him a hit on the head.

"Got it, I won't speak! Gosh, you're so tempered!" Dan said putting his hand on his head.

"You didn't change Dan, not at all. You are still stupid, I don't know why I even wanted to come here," Runo said looking away from him, with crossed arms.

"Ha, you're the one who suggested this meeting anyway; you just don't want to admit that you missed me!" Dan said his tone full of ego. Runo started fuming, seeing that Alice tried to change the subject.

"How about you tell us about your adventure, Dan?" Alice suggested sweetly.

"Oh, please Alice, don't get him started. He won't finish," Runo stated with a sly smile.

"Well, if you would want to know Alice, we went to a planet called Neathia-" He was interrupted by Runo.

"Here we go again," she said rolling her eyes.

"Excuse me, was I talking to you?" He said and slammed his hands on the table.

"No, and apparently you were talking to no one cause they were not listening," Runo said with a chuckle. Dan was about to continue to argue, but was stopped by Shun.

"If I knew I would come here to listen to your fight, I would never have showed up," he said then took a sip of his tea. Dan sat back down and Runo stopped bickering.

"I'm sorry Dan, It's just…I really did miss you," she admitted.

"And I missed you too," He said with a cheesy smile on his face.

Alice sighed happily that the two stopped fighting and finished her smoothie. She looked to her left to find Marucho holding a device, punching its numbers. She eyed him closely and saw how much he was caught up in it that he paid no attention to what was happening around him. She didn't want to disturb him, but curiosity got the better of her.

"Marucho, what are you doing?" she asked softly. He looked up from the task in hand.

"I'm trying to upgrade Interspace. I'm still looking at the possible designs, but couldn't decide on one," he said pushing his red glasses further up.

"I see," she said, understanding. She noticed how much Marucho was pouring himself in his new invention. She looked back at the group, only to find out that Dan and Runo returned to fight. She chuckled a bit about how silly they were acting. Yet again, the atmosphere would be pretty gloomy and boring if they didn't.

* * *

The doors of the booth were reopened revealing a man dressed in black. He got out of the machine and removed his helmet, letting the wind play with his messy black hair. He breathed in the fresh air of the past and opened his honey eyes to look at the clear sky that he hadn't seen in a while.

People were looking at him, like he had grown two heads or so. Yet again, he appeared out of no where, so he could not blame them.

He knew this day very well, he knew that the brawlers would be sitting under that big tree in the park. It has been ten years, but it was a day to remember, the day they left Earth. The day everything started.

He put the helmet back on his face and got a green and red cylinder pieces out of his pocket, then started walking towards the park, not caring about the weird looks he was still receiving.

…

He reached the place and saw them, the six teens seemed happy. He eyed them closely, joy returning to his heart as he remembered the past. That was until his eyes fell on Dan. Joy was replaced by rage within seconds and his expressions showed hatred underneath the darkened helmet. He got out of his hiding and came closer to them.

"Dan Kuso, I challenge you to a fight," he said. Even if he was going to kill him, he couldn't without giving him a chance to defend himself. The brawlers took notice to his existence and looked at him, confused.

"Listen buddy, I don't know what's your problem, but I really don't-" he was interrupted by the man throwing him the red piece, Dan caught it.

"Defend yourself, fight for your life," The man stated, then punched a small button and the cylinder turned into a rod. Dan did the same.

Once Dan's red weapon was activated, the man started attacking, wasting no time. Dan managed to do a flip backwards dodging the attack. The others gasped in fear and confusion of what was going on, but the man didn't wait to explain and continued to blow. Dan started struggling to block his attacks.

The due went deeper and deeper into the park, people started screaming and running in circles, like they were attacked by a monster and Dan was getting distracted by all the sounds around him till the man managed to make him loose his balance and he fell to the ground.

The young man came closer and raised his weapon, but only to turn around and hit Shun who was sneaking behind him. Shun was sent flying to the ground, Alice and the others rushed by his side.

"Stay out of the fight," the man said coldly. Shun looked at him, shocked. He couldn't understand how he was able to sense him.

Dan took this as his chance; he got a hold of the rod and hit the man on the legs, causing him to fall on the ground with a thud. He then knocked the green rod out of the man's hand. The man smirked, though it couldn't be witnessed through his helmet.

"I think the fight is over. Now, would you care to explain?" Dan said putting the stick away.

"I want nothing, but to see you dead," he said, with a tone fill with hatred. Dan looked at him, shocked. He was sure this was the first time he had seen the man, what could he possibly have done to him? He didn't know.

The man did a back flip as well and got out a metallic card and a green ball.

"Let's see if you're gonna take this," he threw the card in the air and it broke into tiny pieces and disappeared. The sky lost its blue colour and was now filled of mixed colours, it kinda reminded the brawlers of the time they fought Naga, for then the sky looked the same. The man threw the green ball in the air.

"Ventus Wolf, stand," he yelled. A huge green wolf with six tails appeared before Dan, he would have said it was beautiful, but he was in a fight now.

"Now we're talking! Couldn't we brawl in the first place?" he said and got Drago out of his pocket.

"Drago, stand," he yelled, and Drago turned into his real form. Dan jumped on his shoulder and they both flew in the sky.

"We have an advantage 'cause we are flying," Dan said and Drago agreed. The brown haired boy held an ability card.

"Ability card activate, Fire Fury!" Dan said excited and Drago started shooting multiple fire balls at his opponent.

"Ability card activate, Wind tornado," he shouted. A giant tornado appeared and blew off the fire balls. Before Dan could turn the attack; the young man activated another ability card that made Drago lose his ability to fly and he started falling from a high height. Drago and Dan came crashing to the ground and Dan fainted out of the hard contact with the ground.

Drago turned back into a ball and fell close to Dan and the man caught his bakugan. He walked towards Dan and held a laser gun in his hand; he was about to fire when Runo stood in front of Dan.

"Don't you dare to hurt him!" She yelled, tears in her eyes.

He looked at her and nearly started crying himself, she was still the same. The factor of time didn't change her, whether she was in the past or the future. It pained him to see her defending the one that will cause her to suffer in the future.

"Don't protect him, he does not deserve it," he said calmly. She shook her head.

"I don't know who you are, or why are you doing this. All I know is that we are not gonna let you hurt him!" she stated. The others, who stood next to her, nodded.

"Please, move out of the way," he asked once more.

"If you want to kill him, then, kill me too, 'cause I'm not going to move," she said. Alice looked at her, when Dan was awake and safe, they were fighting over silly things and now Runo is willing to give her life to save him. That only showed how Runo truly loved him.

His grip on the weapon tightened, Runo shot her eyes; afraid of the worst.

Seconds past, and nothing happened. She slowly opened her eyes on the sound of a soft cry, she was shocked enough to discover that the man was the one in tears.

She saw how his tears formed a little stream and fell off of his chin. Julie and Marucho rushed to Dan's side, taking advantage of the moment of peace, while Shun stayed in the attack stance, ready to anything.

Runo looked at the young man once more; she couldn't understand the reason for his crying.

"What's going o-on?" she asked with a shaky voice.

"I-I can't…I can't do it, I just can't," he answered more to himself than hers. There was something about his voice that seemed familiar to Runo, but she just could not tell what it was. She walked towards him. No matter how much effort Alice did to keep her from doing so, she continued to move closer. When she was right in front of him; she reached for his helmet, she wanted to know his identity. He did nothing to stop her; she didn't know if it was because he didn't see her or because he didn't care. The truth, he couldn't stop her.

He was taller than her, so it was a bit hard to take it off, but she did after much struggle. Her eyes widened as she saw who he was…

"S-Shun?" she asked. She wasn't sure, after all, how could there be two Shuns? It didn't make any sense, but they both looked the same.

The others were shocked as well; they started shifting their eyes from the Shun standing with them to the Shun standing before them.

"I can see he looks like me, stop it!" Shun almost yelled, a little annoyed.

"B-But, how?" Runo asked in disbelieve. Shun2 wiped his tears, quickly, and regained his serious looks.

"I am Shun, but from another world, from another time, actually. Ten years time, in the future," he said. Any ordinary person wouldn't have believed, for this made no sense. But not those, for their own lives didn't mean much sense at times.

"You mean that you came here…in a time machine or something?" Marucho asked. Shun2 nodded.

"Cool," he muttered.

At that moment, Dan started waking up, they walked back to him, and Runo sat beside him.

"What happened, my head hurts," he said rubbing his head, when he opened his eyes, he saw the 'big' Shun standing in front of him. His mouth gaped.

"Yes, Dan, he is Shun, but from the future," Runo said answering his mental question. Dan, then, started shifting his eyes between the two Shuns.

"Dude, there are two of you!" he stated the obvious.

"I realized that Dan, stop before I kill you!" Shun said angrily.

"Great! Two Shuns want to kill me!" he said throwing his arms in the air.

"Hey, wait a second. Why do you want to kill me, I am your best friend?" he asked, Shun2 frowned and folded his arms.

"_Were_ my best friend, not any more" he corrected harshly, and pointed his gun towards Dan. Runo stood in front of him again.

"I won't let you kill him! Not without a proper explanation that is," she said. Shun2 couldn't help, but chuckle a bit.

"Runo!" Dan said, objecting.

"Let's hear the man, he may have a good point," she said with an evil grin. Dan frowned.

"My life is in danger and she's enjoying it!" he mumbled.

"The reason why I am doing this will hurt you," Shun2 said, answering Runo. She looked at him, curiosity rising. What could Dan have done in their future do deserve this fate?

"I wanna know," she insisted. The young man saw the determination in her eyes.

"Let's say that he betrayed us," Shun2 said, but from his tone she knew there was more to say. He put his gun on his belt and turned his back to them.

"My mission failed, I see. But, don't feel safe Dan, I'll return when it's just you and me," he said and picked up his helmet and started walking, but stopped when he felt a hand around his wrist.

"Dan would never do that, prove it!" Runo said. He smirked.

"Come with me, then. See for yourself, but only for a short time, for you have to return after that," he suggested, he wanted her to believe him, just then she may be ok with it. Runo nodded.

"Runo, you sure about this?" Alice asked, putting a hand on Runo's shoulder. Runo nodded, again.

"Then I'm coming with you! I won't let you go alone, we don't know if it's a trap or something," she said and both girls smiled at each other.

"Well, I'll join the party. Gotta prove to Mr. hot shot here, that he's mistaken," Dan said putting Drago on his shoulder.

"Then, I guess I have to go too, and make sure everybody is safe," Shun1 said with a sigh and the seven walked to were the machine was.

Its gates opened and Shun2 entered, placing the helmet on his head, punching buttons on the keyboard.

"It's called the 'Time Center'. You invented it," he said looking at Alice, who blinked in disbelieve.

"Wow," she managed to say while entering the machine. Runo, Dan and Shun followed.

"I wanna go too, I always wondered how the future will look like," he said, his mind driving to a wild dream.

"Sorry, buddy. It can only take five people," And with those words, the dream was shattered. He got out a digital camera from his pack and threw it at Dan.

"Pictures, lots and lots of pictures," he ordered.

"S-U-R-E," Dan said, scratching his cheek.

"Say hi to me in the future," Julie said, though she didn't get what was happening.

"Sure," Dan said.

"Just make sure not to get close to me, or the others back home," Shun2 said in a threatening way. Dan nodded a little scared.

"You mean...we are really going to see ourselves in ten years?" Runo asked excited. Shun2 looked away from her.

"Maybe," he muttered. The doors closed and in an instance they were gone, leaving Julie and Marucho behind.

"Cool," Marucho said. The doors were reopened; the whole journey took a few seconds.

* * *

The five of them stepped out of the machine, to find themselves in, what looked like, a lap. A very advanced one. They got out and ran towards the near balcony they saw.

The sight was beautiful; it reminded one of what he would see in a Sci-fi movie. The cars were flying around; the buildings were bright and coloured with different colours and they had different shapes and sizes, it was something they have never seen before. Streets were full of people, dressed in an unusual clothes. To them it was just another day, but to the brawlers, it was a whole new world.

"Welcome to Vestal, year 2021," Shun2 said. They turned to look at him.

"You mean we are not on Earth anymore?" Alice asked. He shook his head.

"No, we left Earth. We have been living here for a long time, now," he answered.

"It's a long story and there's no time to say it," he continued.

"So, where's your prove?" Runo asked, taking them back to the main subject. He sighed and motioned them to follow him. They did.

They came to some sort of a conference room. It had a round table put in the middle of the room with seven chairs around it; each one of them had a different colour, except that there were two red chairs. Shun2 turned the big screen on, showing them the tape. One that showed Dan on top of Drago, who was blasting fire. The soldiers were going down and no one seemed to stop him. Then a battle between Drago and Shun's bakugan began; Dan showed no emotion, no feeling of regret as he battled.

They all eyed the screen closely, all not believing what they were seeing, not believing that it was true.

"Is that…me?" Dan asked, still watching how Drago lunched a new attack.

"Check out those moves, awesome!" he said a bit excited. They all glared at him.

"I mean, bad me," he corrected. He then shook his head.

"I don't believe this, I fought evil all my life and now I am one of them?" he asked no one in particular.

"Ironical, isn't it?" Shun1 said.

"Nice remark," Shun2 said.

"Thanks,"

Runo rolled her eyes at the two boys and got back to see the battle.

"Why didn't I give him a kick on his ass? That would have straightened him up," she said, putting her hand on her hip. Dan gave her a glare, but she ignored him.

"You…can't," Shun2 said his tone low.

"Sure I can, I don't care if I love him or not," she said.

"No. You can't, because you're not here. In ten years time, you are going to die, in ten years time, he's gonna kill you!" He said looking at Dan.

"WHAT!"

* * *

**That ends chapter two, I know it was a little lame, but I couldn't think of much things to write in here, next one will be better, I promise. Tell me what do you think is gonna happen to them in this weird future. R&R**


	3. What's in our Future?

**Hi everybody PussyCatMewMew here, I'm shadowwing1994's sis, shadowwing1994 couldn't make it today, I tied her up in the closet because of what she did in this story. SHE KILLED RUNO! I know you all want her DEAD for that. Hehe.**

**Shadowwing1994: **YES, I'm free! Sis, what are you doing here? Trying to destroy my story!

**PussyCatMewMew: **No, I was trying to make it better XP

**Shadowwing1994: **please ignore my sister, I want to thank everyone who had reviewed, here are the review replies.

**PussyCatMewMew: **No, Don't read it! No!

**Review replies:**

**AliceXShunMEGAFan17: **thx for reviewing, glad you liked it, sorry for the late update and hope you'll enjoy this one =]

**Monochrome13: **thx for reviewing, glad you liked it and hope you'll enjoy this one, glad you're interested in it =]

**Breezyfeather: **thx for reviewing, glad you liked it and sorry about the late update, hope you'll enjoy this one.

**RunoRulz: **thx for reviewing, glad you liked it. Actually a scene like that popped up in my mind a few weeks ago, that's how the story came to me. But, with Runo not existing in the show, I don't know what else to think (ya, I think Runo died or in a coma or sth. I know -_-') sorry for the late update, please don't kill me.

**Flippy17: **what to do, all my first chappies are confusing, hard to understand, extremely weird and everyone say that, not just you. I really don't write the story until I am 100% sure it has no plot holes, so you don't have to worry about that. Thx for reviewing and hope you'll enjoy this one.

**Katzike123: **Thx for reviewing, hope this was soon enough for you. I loved the part were the two Shuns spoke, you'll notice the whole humor comes from the big shun in this fic, lol. Sorry about the misunderstanding, hehe. Hope you'll enjoy this one.

**Colorfullife1993: **thx for reviewing =] glad you liked it, BFF.

**Fluffy cloud: **Thx for reviewing, hope you like this one.

**Helios:** glad you liked it, hope you enjoy this one.

**Dan and Runo 4 eva: **thx a lot for reviewing, ya Dan killed Runo, who would have thought?

**xXPhantomGirlXx93: **Thx for reviewing, glad you liked it and hope you'll enjoy this one.

If your name is not mentioned here, that means I already replied to you, sorry I'm too lazy to put the rest.

**Now on with the story, and I changed the title, so you would know. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

**Between Past, Present and Future**

**Chapter three: What's in our future?**

"No. You can't, because you're not here. In ten years time, you are going to die, in ten years time, he's going to kill you!" He said looking at Dan, accusingly.

"WHAT!" the four teenagers exclaimed.  
They looked at Dan in disbelieve. He looked at himself in disbelieve.

"You KILLED me?" Runo asked, putting her hands on her hips. Dan looked at her with an unusual look in his eyes. She melted a bit and looked at him.

The unreadable emotion was hurt. The idea was still sinking in. How could he kill the girl he loved? More importantly, why? Too many questions rushed in his brain, sadly, not bringing the answers with them.  
"It's…It's impossible! T-that can't be true! Why are you lying?" he asked Shun2. The older male didn't care about convincing him with his crime, cause deep down, Shun knew it was true.  
It hurt him so much things reached this point, he was planning to go back in time and kill Dan and end it, with no questions being asked. Sadly for him, it didn't go as planned; even if Runo hadn't stopped him, he doubted he had the strength to hurt the boy that used to be his friend.

"It's not a lie, unfortunately, it's the truth, no matter how hurtful it is," he said with an emotionless tone. The three young teens stood helplessly, unable to cheer Dan up. Weird feelings made its way to their hearts. Did their best friend turn into a killer?

The thoughts of the group were interrupted by a sweet voice calling from the door of the lab.  
"Shun, is that you?" the voice called once again. Shun looked uneasy.

"Crap, It's Alice! You guys have to stay here, okay?" he ordered then walked to see Alice2.  
Dan and the others stopped thinking about what they heard as curiosity got the better of them, they hid behind a large computer in the lab, but they were able to peek.  
They looked closely at the lady Shun2 called Alice. She was a fully grown woman, in her late twenties. She was wearing a white tight vestal skirt that reached just above her knees. She also wore a light green shirt, on top of it, was her lab coat. Her hair wasn't put down like usual, it was tied up in a beautiful ponytail, the tips of her hair reached her waist.

Alice gazed at herself; she sure did change over years. She couldn't believe her eyes. Shun shared that thought with her.

"Hey, Alice, came back for more work?" Shun2 asked, his tone said he was hiding something and Alice2 noticed that.

"Yes, indeed," she answered and examined him, that when she noticed the black helmet in his hand.  
"Did you use the time center behind my back? I said it wasn't ready yet, you could have killed yourself!" she half-shouted at him, a few tears started forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Dan tried to stiffen his laughs, but he couldn't help but chuckle. Alice wasn't the only one who had changed, but Shun as well. To Dan, he was a complete fool in front of her.  
Too bad for Shun2, that is, Alice2 heard Dan's laughs. She looked past Shun's shoulders.  
"Who's there? Reveal yourself," she demanded and pointed her laser gun in the direction she heard the laughs come from. Dan, Runo, Alice and Shun stepped out from behind the computer. Shun2 slammed his forehead with the palm of his hand, while Alice gasped as she saw the young children before her.

"You didn't! Oh no, oh no, oh no," she said putting her head in her hands.

"Oh yes. Umm…surprise?" he said.

"Why did you bring them here? They are not supposed to disappear, Shun! This is not right!" she fully shouted at him, this time. He looked at her with an apologetic look and moved closer to her and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

The four teenagers stood there dumbfounded.

"Ehem, explain," Dan said what they all wanted to say. Alice2 kept silent, bit Shun2 explained.

"We are engaged now," he said. Young Shun and Alice shook on air and started coughing, if they were drinking water they probably would have spat it out.  
Their gaze met, both were blushing and hard. They quickly tore their eyes away and turned their faces the other sides, embarrassed and shocked.

"Shun…that was supposed to stay a secret," Alice2 said.

"Umm…sorry?" he said.

"I knew it was going to happen at some point," Dan stated, that made the due blush a deeper shade of crimson. He then got hit by Runo.  
"What was that for?" he said rubbing his head.

"You killed me!" she said folding her arms and turning her back to him. She knew it had nothing to do with the current conversation, but she just felt like it.

"Ya, about that. Alice will you please tell her I had nothing to do with her death?" he asked. Alice's eyes changed emotion to one full of rage and hatred.

"Yes, you had. You killed her with your own hands," she said, harshly. Dan's eyes dropped and he looked at the blue-haired girl next to him. He still didn't believe.

"Are you sure about that?" Shun spoke for him, for he was lost in his own thoughts. Alice2 nodded.

"I'm sorry, Dan. But…you are not a very nice person now. Not any more," she stated, and then turned to look at the older Shun.  
"We better get them back now, before any damage would happen to the time line, you were supposed to do the mission and come back, not this," she said. Shun shook his head.

"The plan will fail. If I wasn't able to kill him, then non of us would. It's harder than I thought, so…I was thinking we must use the winning card we have," Shun2 said, smirking. The red-headed lady didn't quite get him, but someone else did. The younger Shun smirked as well.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked Shun2.

"No, you are thinking what I'm thinking," Shun2 answered and their smirk grew. That frightened Dan a bit.

"Can one of you tell us what you're thinking?" Alice asked.

"Runo!" the two said in union.

"Spooky," Alice said.

"Since non of us is able to get to him and because we all knew Runo is,"

"We can make her battle him,"

"That way, he will be defeated because of the mental situation he'll be in,"

"We will be able to seas him and put him to trial and stop the rebels,"

"That way no one will get hurt,"  
The two Shuns exchanged the statements explaining their plan. Everyone looked at them with their mouths open.

"Even more spooky," Alice said.  
Alice2 gave the plan some thought then nodded her head agreeing.

"Fine, we will do it. We better tell Spectra," she said. Dan looked at her with a questioning look, which she noticed.  
"He's our leader now," she said. Dan put his hand right above where his heart was, he couldn't believe they trusted their former enemy and not him.

"I want to ask you guys something. Why did I kill her?" he asked as the group started walking through the hallway, leading to the conference room.

"To know that, you must ask Spectra, he'll tell you the whole story. After all, he was the only witness for you killing your wife," Shun2 said and the whole group stopped moving. Dan and Runo had their jaws opened.

"WIFE!" Runo said, blushing.

"Sweet," Dan said. Then he got himself another hit from Runo.

"Pervert," she stated. He touched the place where he got hit.

"You're the one who accepted!" he stated.

"Shun…that was supposed to stay a secret as well. I should just tape your mouth," Alice2 said. Shun2 gave her a nervous laugh.

* * *

Julie, Marucho and Spectra, stood in front of the four teenagers in surprise. Julie got over the moment and gave Runo a very tight hug, tears falling freely down her cheek. Runo was in the loss of breath, but she made no move to stop her. She knew it was because she missed her.

"Are you sure about that? How would you know she's gonna affect him? He killed her remember?" Spectra questioned upon hearing the plan they came up with. They nodded, if they knew one thing about Dan, it's he get caught up emotionally in every bad decision or thing he makes, the guilt he has will help the plan work. After explaining that, Spectra surrendered, but deep down, his gut told him to kill Dan and get it over with.

"I want to know why I killed her," Dan demanded. Julie looked at him with pity eyes, she knew it's gonna be hard for him to hear. Spectra gave a sigh and started telling.

"When the Vexos were defeated, I became the ruler of Vestal. Everything was going well until that group of rebels appeared. They wanted to overthrow me, and the whole planet was in chaos, so I called you, the 'Battle Brawlers' I mean. I asked for your help to defeat them and you agreed. We were able to control them until…until you began to help the other side. Runo and I started suspecting that you are planning to turn against us, and one night she decided to confront you. She sent you an anonymous massage for you to meet her some where no one can interrupt you. I followed her, but stayed as far as possible for she didn't want me to come," he paused for a second before continuing.  
"You started arguing and it got out of hand, you shot her in a rage moment and…she died, just like that," he finished turning his back to the group and walking away.

Dan glanced at his hands; they had blood on them now. The blood of the girl he loved, he couldn't know how he lost his mind for those countless seconds and let that be her fate. He knew he couldn't feel what he felt at that moment, but he sure hated himself for doing so. The worst part was; he didn't stop, he just went on and joined the bad side despite the efforts Runo made to stop him. His brain stopped thinking at that moment and he just kept staring at his hands, wordlessly.

Runo knew the idea sank down by now in Dan's guts, but in hers, it didn't. She didn't know why, but the storyline Spectra said seemed a little impossible to happen in her mind. There was something not right, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.  
She also learnt from Alice that going through time to kill Dan was Spectra's idea. He could have suggested they would go and stop Dan from killing her at that moment, since he knows the exact time. It looked to her that Spectra was after Dan not justice, which was a little suspicious. She was deep in thought as well.

Shun and Alice looked at each other, and then swiftly, turned to look the other way. It was still hard to talk or look at each other knowing they'll be together in a few years. They both shook their heads; it was no time for romance problems.  
The whole situation to them was confusing; there were lots of missing links, which somehow were tied up together. Dan was their best friend for a long time and it was hard for them to believe. It looked they were tangled up in one of those movies they used to see.

"But how are you planning to enter his base? It's protected, highly," Julie asked.

"Well, Marucho and I were working on that device I told you about. It can figure out the password and we would get in," Alice2 said to her teammate, who nodded.  
"Actually, I need to work on it, maybe we'll be able to get it done by tomorrow," she said and left, Shun behind her. Young Shun and Alice followed.

"I have to go and make a call, it's important," Julie said, trying to sound innocent. Marucho nodded and Julie left.

…

Alice started working on the device which was really small and delicate. She had to wear special magnifying glasses to see the mini parts of her invention. She asked Shun2 to give her a screwdriver, she only had to raise her hand and the Shun threw it perfectly into her hand, she took it and continued her job.

Young Alice and Shun were quite impressed by the harmony the two shared. To Alice, it was only a dream of hers to end up with Shun. Her dreams didn't go further than wishing to be his girlfriend. She was a little uncomfortable about being with him now, but a part of her really felt happy about the fact they were engaged.  
Shun was thinking about them as well, no matter how much he would try to keep it off of his mind. He didn't know how possible this was when he didn't even have the courage to ask her out.

"So, how and when did this happen? I mean, us," he asked, meaning him and Alice.

"I guess time will be your only teller," Alice2 asked.

"Ya, I remember it as if it was yesterday," Shun2 started, that caused him a glare from Alice2, so he stopped. He came closer to Shun's ear and whispered: "Tell you later," in them. Alice2 sighed.

"Men!" She exclaimed, and got back to the task in hand.

…

Dan and Runo sat down in the balcony, in an attempt to get some fresh air and try to get everything they knew today. Runo looked at the twinkling stars, they looked the same, haven't changed throughout the years, then, how come they had changed that much?

"Crazy stuff, huh?" Runo started.

"Mhm," was all Dan said. He was looking at the sky as well, deep in thought.

"You know, this might be an alert for me to break up with you," she joked, chuckling a bit.

"Mhm," Dan said.  
Runo looked at him; he was clearly not listening to her. He had a serious look in his eyes, one she didn't see before.

"Dan, what's troubling you? You were supposed to laugh," she asked. He snapped out and shook his head.

"It just…it doesn't make sense," he said in a low tone.

"What? You turning evil?" She asked.

"No, the whole me killing you thing," he said looking down.

"I don't blame you, I would have wanted to kill me if I were you," She said and laughed.  
"What doesn't make sense about it?" she said after stopping laughing.

"If you died and especially on my doing, I would be dead too. I simply, can't exist in a world you're not in," he paused for a second.

"Awwwww, that was sweet," Runo said. At the realization of how romantic he said it, he blushed.

"The thing is, I'm alive and you're dead. There's one reason for that, getting your revenge," he said looking straight in her eyes.

"From yourself?" Runo questioned.

"That's why it doesn't make sense," he said, confused.

"To tell the truth, I don't think you did it. I'm sure the whole thing is just a big misunderstanding. And, hey, we faced lots of things together, and this is not different, we'll get through it no matter what," Runo said giving his hand a squeeze. That caused him to smile.

* * *

A tall dark figure stood in a dimmed room, in front of one of the many screens. Only its light helped showing his features. He was folding his hands in front of his chest as he gazed at the screen.

"I thought you should know about it, I'll keep an eye on them, don't worry. Just, be careful," a sound from the screen said. The man only nodded. Then the little window went blank.

He looked at the four people on the screen, two of his friends at the age of seventeen and himself sitting with the little Runo. He turned to look at the little red ball on his shoulder.

"What do you think they're here for, Drago?" He asked his bakugan.

"What ever it is, it can't be good," Drago said.

"What are you planning to do, Dan?'' another bakugan spoke from his other shoulder.

"Don't know Tig, but I think I must take fully advantage of this little opportunity," He said, an unusual smirk crossing his features, one will give shivers to anyone who knew what was on his mind.

* * *

**Chapter three people, sorry for the late update, I was fighting writer's block. So how was it? Am I doing a good job in here or is it just lame? Please tell me. R&R**


	4. Attacked

**Hey guys! I want to thank all of you who had reviewed, alerted and added the story to their favorites. You guys rock! I love all of you. I'm glad you are really liking the story, I had doubts myself if anyone was going to like it, you really made my day, all of you =]**

**Review replies:**

**Starksymd: **thx a lot for reviewing, I was really happy I read your review, it made me go straight to the computer and type. Thx a lot for what you said, hope you like this one.

**Who cares: **thx for reviewing, glad you liked it =] no, I will not stop, so you don't have to worry about that. Thx again and hope you like this chapter.

**AliceXShunMEGAFan17: **thx for reviewing, glad you liked it. I'm glad you didn't see that coming, I like to surprise my readers. Yes, older shun is a loud mouth, I thought it would be nice to alter his character in the future so we can have some humor in the story. Thx for reviewing and hope you'll like this one.

**Alicefrombakugan: **it's okay, I totally understand you, I try really hard to find some time to write, it's quite hard with everything else we have to do. Well ya, every chapter supports each other and fill the gaps, that's my writing style. Aren't we all happy Shun failed? I wouldn't want him to kill Dan just yet. Yes, actually, he feels sorry, he kept tigrerra -as shown in the past chapter- with him, but her death was…well you better read to find out, I wouldn't want to spoil it for you. Ya, I thought it would be good to alter their personalities in the future to have some humor in the story, since Dan won't do that part in here. Hope you liked their new characters. I returned to my old self, I love adding a cliff hanger in each of my chapters, I like giving you something to wonder about and wait for. Thx for reviewing and hope you'll like this one.

**Monochrome13: **thx for reviewing, glad you liked it. Yep, too many things are about to happen, better not jump to conclusions so fast. Hope you like this one.

**Breezyfeather: **thx for reviewing, was that soon enough for you? I tried my best. Ya, PussyCatMewMew is my little sis, you are friends with her? Glad you liked the chapter, and hopefully there'll be no need for the golf club, lol.

**RunoRulz: **Thx for reviewing, glad you liked it. I was happy I was called a dear friend by you =] thx for your support and hope you'll enjoy this one.

**Flippy17: **thx for reviewing. Well, it may or may not be a misunderstanding, you just have to read and find out. Dan and Runo's future is a little complicated, huh. Older Shun is funny, I thought it'll be good to alter his personality in the future to have some humor in the story. Thx for reviewing and hope you like this one.

**Katzike123: **Thx for reviewing, I'm glad you like the older Shun. To know what is up, you only have to read and find out, hope you enjoy this chapter =]

**Colorfullife1993: **thx for reviewing =] glad you liked it, BFF, haha, very funny there MIRA.

**Fluffy cloud: **yep, it was Julie, and yes she's on Dan's side, thx for reviewing and hope you'll enjoy this one.

**Helios:** glad you liked it, hope you enjoy this one.

**Dan and Runo 4 eva: **thx a lot for reviewing, still harsh huh? Well, we'll see what'll happen together.

**Lol:** ya, I guess you are right, hehe. Glad you liked it and hope you'll like this one.

**xXPhantomGirlXx93: **Thx for reviewing, ya I liked it too, glad you liked the chapter and hope you'll enjoy this one.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Between Past, Present and Future**

**Chapter four: Attacked.**

Runo slowly opened her eyes, after blinking once or twice, her vision became clear. She sat up straight and moved the slightly-tanned hand away from her waist. She looked to her right to find Dan still sound asleep.

She was forced to share the bed wit him, for they slept in their older version's room, the ones of the future. It was quite awkward to sleep next to Dan on the huge bed, but they decided to leave a distance between each other, but Dan for being a very deep, active sleeper, she found herself being hugged by him.

She stood up and hit the sleepy Dan with a pillow, the brown-haired male shot up annoyed from his dreams. He glared at Runo for waking him up, she rolled her eyes and sat back on the bed with a big jump causing Dan to fall out of the bed and on the hard floor. He stood up rubbing his head and mumbling unheard things by Runo before entering the bathroom to take his morning shower.

Runo giggled at his actions. She looked at the bedside table which had a picture of her and Dan. She picked it up and looked at the mirror image of herself. She was older, the childish Runo disappeared and was replaced by a more mature looking adult. Her ponytails were now put down as each one of them laid on each of her shoulders, she was wearing a white shirt and black pants.

She sat there, admiring herself for a while. That was until her eyes caught the pyrus brawler. He was certainly different from the Dan she was seeing now. His face was no longer one that belonged to a little boy, but to a grownup man. He was more handsome than now as well, but two things never changed, the black goggle that rested on his head and his love to the colour red for his outfit was still in that colour.

Runo put the picture back on the wooden table. She opened the drawers and started searching through the objects it had. It was her room after all, right?

She found lots of things in there, but one thing caught her eyes, a red photo album. She picked it up and removed the dust covering it. At that moment the door was opened and three people entered, Julie, the young Shun and the young Alice. Julie, quickly, jumped on the bed and stole the book from Runo's hand and started looking at it, happily.

"Can we see its pictures?" Runo asked, wanting Julie to tell her the story behind each of the pictures of the book. Julie nodded and motioned the teens to sit on the bed next to here, Dan also found a space next to Runo and squeezed himself next to her.

Runo got a little annoyed, but made no move to push him away. She then looked at Alice and Shun who were looking terrible! Their hair was messy and they had bags underneath their eyes.

"What happened to you?" Runo asked, Alice and Shun looked at each other then looked away.

As Dan and Runo, they shared a room, but thankfully for them, it had two separate beds. Even though, their eyes couldn't close and they stayed up all night in an awkward silence, both thinking about their 'engagement'. Alice was not going to tell them and Shun wasn't allowed to, so their imagination kept wandering around, coming up with different stories each time.

"Nothing, we just couldn't sleep," Alice answered. Runo was going to question, but Julie opened the photo album.

The first picture was showing the whole team of six standing together with smiles on their faces.

"We were really happy we were going on an adventure with the guys," Julie explained then flipped the page.

The second pictures showed the three girls training with the laser guns they had, they were aiming for wooden targets.

"We were training more to prove to the guys we were strong," Julie said and continued to flip the pages telling the young brawlers things after each photo. After a while, they came to a paper saying: Dan and Runo's wedding. The said teens turned red, but motioned Julie to continue.

The pictures were showing the very little details of their wedding. Runo and Dan watched with sparkles in their eyes. The pictures showed Runo wearing her long white wedding dress, how Dan and Runo shared their kiss and how the party stretched on, after the photos were done, Dan put his arm around Runo's shoulders and looked happily at her.

"Oh, Dan, it's like everything I ever imagined," Runo said, dreamily. "I mean, whatever," she added, quickly. They all giggled, but turned to look at the last picture.

It was showing Runo, Julie and Alice smiling and holding so many shopping bags in their hands, even Runo's. Julie's eyes watered, but she quickly wiped them away before they fell down.

"Since when I liked shopping?" Runo asked, raising an eye brow at the picture.

"Well…you were not allowed to battle for the last few months, so the only thing you could do was going shopping with me and Alice. You were happy here…because…we were ba-" Julie wasn't able to continue her sentence for tears were falling freely down her face. Tears and sops. Runo and the others looked at her, worriedly, they didn't know what to say.

"Do you know why you were not allowed to battle, Runo?" Shun2 said as he appeared in the doorway.

"Sure, because, either Dan thought I was weak and/or he wanted to, annoyingly, prevent me from getting hurt," she answered, surely.

"Neither, you couldn't battle because…you were pregnant, Runo," he said.

"And that day, before you died, we were baby shopping," Julie added, looking down.

Their eyes widened. Runo couldn't believe her ears, not only she lost herself, but her baby too. It was quite weird for her to feel this; loosing something she didn't had, yet, but that what she was feeling. She was even prevented from becoming a mother, one of the things she wanted to be.

Dan looked at his hands. He hated himself more than ever right now, killing both, his wife and baby.

Shun2 looked at the pair; he meant to say what he had said. Maybe, just maybe, Runo would see reason and break up with him before she would have to suffer that, it was what he wanted from her when she returns to her time.

"Julie, your ride is here," Shun2 said taking the group from it current thoughts. Julie nodded, stood up and made her way to the door.

"Where are you going?" Dan asked.

"I'm going to visit the folks back home, it has been a while since I lasted saw them. Billy too, he's alone with the twins," she said and picked her suitcase up, then said goodbye to them.

"Come on you guys, the device is ready, we will do the attack right now," Shun2 said motioning the teens to stand up and leave the room.

They did as told and walked with Shun to the lab. There, they were given vestal clothes so they would be able to move. Runo wore a white vestal shirt and black pants, Alice wore the same, but her shirt was purple. Dan and Shun decided to not change their clothes.

"This is something you would need to travel around here," Alice2 said as she handed them flying skateboards, Dan was extremely excited and decide to try them right the way. He started flying around the place until he hit a wall, he fell down, but didn't complain about the pain.

"It was AWESOME," he exclaimed. The others sighed.

* * *

Julie ordered the mechanical cap driver to pull over three blocks away from the palace. She got out and tied her short silver hair up in a small ponytail. She put on a hat and sunglasses and continued to move very quickly throughout the streets.

She started taking twists and turns into the hidden parts of the city, she stopped in front of a huge white building, it had no windows, only a metal door. She walked towards it and typed a password into the little machine next to the door.

"Welcome, Julie Makimoto," the computer said and the door was opened. She walked inside the facility.

The lights were turned on as Julie walked in the halls. When she reached a door with a sign saying: 'The main room' on it she pressed the button and it opened. She walked into the dark room where a figure stood in front of one of the many screens that filled the room. The figure turned to face her, his face had no emotion on it.

"Hey Julie," the white bakugan said from the figure's shoulder.

"Oh, hi Tigrerra," Julie said with a smile, then she came closer and stood next to Dan.

"How are you doing Dan?" Julie asked. The pyrus brawler nodded, a gesture to say he was fine. Physically not mentally. She put her hand in her pocket and got out a metal card out of it. Dan took the card from her and looked at it for a second.

"Will you tell me what do you want with it? I already told you that it would allow you to enter the base, but not the higher towers," Julie said looking at Dan.

"They disabled my metal card, I need yours to enter the base, other than that, you will know very soon," Dan said and placed the card in his pocket.

"They are going to attack you, you know. The little ones with them," she said. Dan smirked.

"I don't care, I will make my move first, don't worry. In the end, I will win," he said, in a cold tone, then left the room. Julie looked at the door, worriedly.

"I hope you know what you are doing, Dan," She said with a sigh.

* * *

The group flew, excitedly for some of them, across the sky. It was hard for the four teens to balance themselves on the boards at first, but then they handled it. They were about to reach the rebels HQ, it was a white building with only one metal door.

Just as they were close to it; the sky changed colours to ones mixed together with different shades, just like the time when Shun came from the future and started battling Dan. Three bakugans appeared before them, pyrus ones to be exact. They were birds, but red in colour and had flames for wings. The creatures let a screech and started attacking the blue-haired girl.

Runo started screaming as the three birds continued chasing her, targeting no one but her. The others watched in horror as Runo's board caught on fire. She tried getting away from the flames, but she failed. She had no other choice but to jump and she did. Luckily, Dan caught her before she hit the ground.

The bakugans were going to fire, but stopped when they saw Dan. They started attacking the rest of the gang. The older Shun and Alice launched Hydranoid and Ventus wolf to attack them, but they were too strong. The young Shun held Alice's hand and dragged her away from the battle field. Since they both didn't have their bakugans, it was safer for them to hide.

The battle continued and the bakugans were trying only to fire at Runo without hurting Dan, Runo and for the first time in her life felt fear. _Her_ life was threatened, now.

Dan sensing her fear, got Drago out of his pocket and started attacking one of the bird-like creature, until it was destroyed, but not before getting Drago injured.

Shun2 seeing that the battle was getting out of hand, he ordered the team to return to the base. He watched as the bakugans stood before the HQ, as if protecting it. At that moment, he was sure Dan was the one who had sent them. Rage boiled inside him.

Shun2 punched the wall with his fist, angrily.

"How could he do this? He crossed the line," He stated. Alice2 came closer to him and hugged him, lightly trying to calm him down, when he did, he went to talk to spectra about what had happened.

The young Alice and Shun went to Marucho to take a bandage from him for Alice hurt herself in the battle, which only left Dan, Runo and Alice2.

Runo stood shaking with fear, she was hugging herself as many thoughts and images crossed her head. Dan came closer to her and tried to give her a hug, but then he was pushed away.

"Don't touch me!" Runo yelled. Dan backed away, hurt in his eyes.

"Runo I-" he was interrupted by Runo.

"When everything started, I thought it was a mistake, a huge misunderstanding. But, today, only today I discovered it was true. I'm sorry but I can't be around that, not anymore, Dan," she said, tears in her eyes. Dan looked at her, he felt her pain, he understood what she was going through, but he couldn't believe she was breaking up with him now.

**It doesn't matter who wins anymore,**

**No, not at all**

**For all the things we shared,**

**Don't exist anymore.**

**The bond that was once there**

**Broke**

**And, vanished in the air**

**So, it doesn't matter who wins anymore**

**No, not at all**

**For all the things we shared **

**Don't exist**

**Anymore.**

Runo looked at Dan's eyes, she knew he was hurt, but yet again, so was she.

**I know it broke your heart **

**It broke mine too**

**I don't wanna say goodbye**

**But I don't want to lie**

**To you…**

**Saying I'll stay with you **

**No matter what we're** **going through**

**I listen to the whistles of the** **wind**

**I can't believe it's the end**

**But I got to go**

**And you know**

**That we can't stay together**

**No, not anymore**

**It doesn't matter who wins anymore,**

**No, not at all**

**For all the things we shared,**

**Don't exist anymore.**

**For all the things…we shared…**

**Don't exist…**

**Anymore…**

Runo left the lab and went to her room, crying. Leaving Dan alone with a broken heart.

"Are you okay?" Alice2 asked. Dan nodded.

"Ya, do you think I can sleep here tonight?" Dan said, she nodded and left the lab as well.

...

"You should have said something to comfort him, you know," Hydranoid said. Alice looked at her shoulder and shook her head.

"I couldn't, I couldn't forget what he would do when he grows up. Maybe it's better this way, for Runo to be away from him," She said and walked to the conference room to see Shun and Spectra.

* * *

Runo sat on her bed, sobbing, like she had been for the past few hours. It was still hard for her to believe this was really happening, but sadly, it was and now she was facing the harsh reality of it.

She was finally able to sleep, out of exhaustion. She laid down on her bed, tears still running down her cheeks, uncontrollably. After a few hours, she started sweating and moving in her sleep due to a dream she was having, but if a person was watching it, he would call it a nightmare. The window to her room was opened, hard. Causing the teen to wake up with a scream.

She looked at the opened window and felt the cold pries it was letting in, nothing was there.

"It's all in your head, it's all in your head, nothing is there," she said, then took a deep breath. She turned to the bedside table to grab the glass of water only to see a dark figure standing in front of her.

She screamed, but he quickly put his hand on her mouth. He held her, rapping her arms behind her back to prevent her from escaping. He started walking to the window with her struggling to get out from his grip. She used the rest of her strength to step on his foot, but Dan2 made no move to let her go, he jumped out the window to the huge red dragon waiting for him. When he escaped, Runo managed to move his hand away, the one covering her mouth and let out a scream, a cry for help, one that disturbed the silence of the night.

* * *

Dan woke up, breathing heavily and sweating. He was sure he had heard Runo screaming. He started looking around himself a little confused. Drago noticed this and jumped on the sofa Dan was sleeping on.

"Is there anything wrong, Daniel?" He asked.

"Did you hear it?'' Dan asked back. Drago looked at him, with a mental confused expression.

"No, I heard nothing,'' Drago said.

"Forget it, maybe it was just a dream," Dan said and returned to sleep, deep down, something was still not feeling right.

He wasn't knowing he heard Runo's scream, asking for his help.

* * *

**Chapter four. That was a long one. The song was written by me, it's called 'Not anymore' hope you liked it. **

**So how was the chapter? Hope you liked it. And monochrome13 you guessed right, I didn't tell you because I didn't want to ruin it for you, you deserve a cookie.**

**R&R and tell me what do think will happen =] **


	5. Behind the cold Mask

**I am so sorry for dropping the face of earth for the past three months! Thankfully I'm done with stupid school for good^^ I so missed writing! So, without any further yapping from my side, let's start the story.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

**Between Past, Present and Future**

**Chapter five: Behind the cold mask.**

Runo was now willingly sitting on Drago; she wanted to escape, but she restrained on doing so. If she was to do any wrong move, she would fall from a dizzying height.

She didn't dare, not for one second, to look in the eyes of her kidnapper. She didn't want to see that unreadable emotion in his eyes or those blank expressions he put on his face. She couldn't help but to think about what would happen to her. What kind of plan he had in mind for her. Would she be used as a hostage or would he kill her as her older version? She, sadly, didn't know what to expect.

Drago stopped abruptly, with the space of a few meters away from the huge headquarters. Runo wondered why they had stopped when they hadn't even reached the HQ. She looked at the building and the two pyrus bakugans were still guarding the gate. They were there for one second and the next…they were gone! A fire blast from Drago took them both down, without breaking a sweat and an explosion erupted as the two bakugans were reduced to dust.

A red force field appeared surrounding the HQ, then and in the matter of seconds, it disappeared. A cold chill moved down Runo's spine. She raised her head that was between her hands as she was protecting it from the explosion. Her eyes were caught by Dan's. That unreadable emotion became clear to her; it was a mixture of rage, hatred and…amusement. She couldn't believe he was enjoying killing his own allies.

Drago landed and Dan grabbed her hand roughly and forced her to move in front of him. Drago then turned back to his ball form and the sky got it raven colour back, as the two walked inside the building through the metal door.

* * *

Runo walked down the hallway of the fourth floor, struggling along the way to get out of Dan's grip. A door to her left opened and Julie came out. Runo and Julie looked at each other, with wide eyes and shocked faces. Runo looked at the silver-haired girl as realization downed on her; Julie was betraying the brawlers! She couldn't believe it.

Julie looked at Dan, not understanding the reason for that move. Dan noticed her looks, but he ignored her and walked inside the control room. Dan let Runo go, she quickly moved away from him as she rubbed her arm, right in the place his hand engulfed it. It was red, but relaxed that the pressure of Dan's hand was gone.

"Don't move!" He commanded harshly and walked outside of the room, closing the door behind him with a loud bang.

Tears slowly fell down Runo's cheek as her back hit the corner of the room. She sat there hugging her legs. It was him, the Dan she knew and grew up with. The one she loved dearly. At the same time, she felt he was a stranger.

Back when she was in the palace, the brawlers, the older ones, sat with her. Each one of them told her stuff about him, stories even, all trying to show Dan as a cruel and heartless person.

_Dan has changed Runo, the Dan we all know is gone…_

_The good in him disappeared and he will treat you the same way…he will murder you…_

Shun and Alice were putting much effort in scaring her. She and the others were to return to their time eventually, they wanted her and the others to stay away from Dan, just then they would be safe from him in the future. To shun and Alice, Dan's future can't be changed, but at least they wanted them to know and think of a way to stop this before it happens.

She never believed. She didn't want to. But the more time she spent there and the more stories she heard, she finally came to believe and so she couldn't stay with him anymore. She faced danger all those past years, it was always risky to be around Dan, but he was never the source of that danger…till now.

_You are not the only one he killed, you were his first…_

_Save yourself and the world, go back and fix it…_

_Save them all…_

_Save them all…_

* * *

Dan picked up one of the water glasses that was on the table in the kitchen. As he was about to return to the control room, he was stopped by Julie. She looked somewhat angry and confused.

"What were you thinking?" she yelled at him.

"What I chose to do is not from your business," he said calmly, holding the glass of water.

"Dan, they will come after her," she said, changing tone into one of concern.

"That's exactly what I want," he said, still maintaining that calm voice.

"You will be outnumbered, highly. They could kill you this time," she said a few tears in her eyes.

"GUESS WHAT JULIE! I already died!" he shouted all of a sudden taking Julie by surprise. She backed away a little, putting a hand near her heart that was beating wildly. Dan walked away, leaving her behind him without saying another word.

…

Runo raised her head and wiped away her tears as she heard the door being opened. Dan entered and turned the light on, for the room was dark. He had to blink a couple of times before he was able to see clearly. He wasn't used to light much, for he rarely went out in daylight anymore. He likes to stay in that room, in darkness…

Dan walked towards Runo and knelt down near her so he would be at the same level as her. He extended his hand, the one with the glass.

"You wanted some water," he said meaning the glass of water she was reaching for in her room back in the palace. Runo only slapped his hand away causing the glass to fall on the ground, water spilled everywhere.

"Suite yourself," he said and walked to the near by table and took a cloth that was placed on it and started drying his hands.

"Did you regret it? Did you even…care?" Runo asked in a low voice.

Dan stopped all of a sudden and took a deep breath, thinking her question over, understanding what she meant. Moments passed by, but still he didn't answer.

"I thought so. You never cared," she said disappointedly.

"You're wrong," Dan finally spoke. "There isn't a day passes without me thinking about it. I never had a good night sleep for three years. Of course I regret it, so don't you dare telling me that I don't," he continued, still not facing her.

Runo looked at him surprised and somehow glad his conscious was still there. Maybe, maybe there was still a chance to get him back. Maybe there's still good in h- her train of thoughts stopped as Dan spoke again.

"She forced me. She wasn't supposed to stand in my way like that. She was my wife, she should have supported me, not that. I lost my mind for a few seconds and well, you know the rest," He said, folding both arms in front of his chest as hurt filled his eyes.

"She didn't support your evil plans? Is that why you killed her?" Runo said, anger in her voice.

"That what had happened. She's gone now, but you are still here," Dan said with a smirk crossing his face. Runo looked at him, wondering about the meaning that lied behind his words.

"You will not be like her, will you? No, you'll be smarter, you will join me, right?" He said in a matter of fact tone.

"What?" Runo exclaimed.

"Why is it so strange to you? You and I can rule this universe; everyone will be under our command. All you have to do is to join me," he said placing his fist before him in an encouraging way. Runo looked at him in disbelieve.

"Whether now or the past, I will always be the same. As long as you're walking in this path, Dan Kuso, I'll never join you," she said in a determent tone.

Dan shook his head, and then let a sigh out.

"I thought better of you, I really did. Well, if you're not going to join me, then… you must die," he said the last word with an evil laugh, then got his laser gun out and pointed it at Runo.

Runo knew there was no escape, she couldn't move; she was paralyzed with fear and confusion. She shut her eyes closed; she closed her eyes tightly that a few wrinkles appeared on her eye led.

Moments flew by, but nothing happened. Could death be so painless? Mocking laughs in the form of snickers escaped Dan's lips, and then it turned into loud giggles. Curiously, Runo opened her eyes. She was more than surprised to see the gun on the floor and Dan crying because he had been laughing so hard. She could not help but raise an eyebrow at him.

"Look at your face, it worth a million dollars!" he said, now clutching to his stomach for he was laughing really hard.  
"It has been a while since I laughed this hard!"

"You're a jerk!" she said pouting, getting that it was only an act in front of her. Dan stopped laughing and started staring at her. She never may have noticed or no one had ever mentioned it to her, but whenever she gets mad at him for something he said, she puffs her cheeks and folds her arms in front of her chest and pronounces the adjective that would always describe him, which is 'jerk'. But, sadly he hadn't heard this word in nearly three years.

"Say it again," he simply requested. Runo looked at him with soft expressions.

"Jerk," she calmly said, not in the usual tone she would use.

"I missed it…a lot," Dan said.

"Was this really an act? Why did you do that?" Runo said, well, half shouted.

"I wanted to see if they really got to you. I wanted to know if you believed that I am evil now. Sadly, you did," he said.  
"It's them who are blinded so they won't see the truth, they are the bad guys now, Runo, and half of them don't even know it," he said placing both of his hands on her shoulders.

Runo looked in his eyes, they had that serious look in them.  
"I-" she started, but was interrupted by a sound coming from one of the many monitors. She turned her attention to the screen on her right as it started playing a video.

…

_Dan and Shun were standing near the altar in the church. The whole place was decorated nicely for the wedding. Dan was standing there, nervously, loosening his tie every now and then, while Shun stood there as calm as ever. _

_"Dan! Calm down, will you? You are annoying me," Shun said in a cold tone. Dan gave him a glare._

_"Sure, you're not the one who's gonna get married!" Dan yelled and started stamping the floor with his foot looking at the camera placed in Marucho's hands._

_"Marucho, stop filming this, you're making it worse," Shun said, more like ordered. _

_"Ok, gosh you guys are grumpy today. I'll go and see the bride," he said and with that he left the place through a back door that lead to Runo's room. _

_Marucho moved throughout the halls with his camera filming every thing on the way. He then reached a white door and gently opened it. Inside the ladies were there, putting their final touches of makeup. But, that wasn't what caught his eyes; it was the bride-to-be in the white gown. Runo was examining herself in the mirror, she started twirling around herself, her gown flying with every spin. She stopped when she saw Marucho. _

_"You look very beautiful, Runo," he complemented. Runo flushed a faint pink. _

_"Thank you," she said. _

_"Marucho, you have to go now, we can't let you stay. Runo will be out in five minutes!" Alice said and Julie pushed Marucho in the direction of the door._

_"Fine, fine, I'm going!" he surrendered; everyone was pushing him away that day. _

_"Hey, Marucho," Runo called out and the blonde turned so he would face her._

_"If you showed that video to Dan, I'll kill you," she said._

_"I won't, I promise, it's bad luck, remember,'' He said and went back to where Dan and Shun were. _

…

'Time of repeating: 2 hours," the red letters appeared on one of the monitors.

"Why do you keep watching this?" Runo asked.

"Because it's the only reminder of you I have left," he answered. Runo looked at the monitor, feeling a little sad.

"He lied you know. Marucho showed me the whole thing, it helped me relax a bit," Dan said.

"Then remind me to kill him," Runo said with a chuckle.

"Despite that, you never failed to look so breath taking when that huge door was opened," he said with a smile.

For a good minute or so, the room was silent.

"Can I really trust you?" she asked. Dan looked her in the eye.

"It was not me who had killed you, but it was partially my fault, but I'm not the monster they told you I was," he said. Runo was still hesitant, even after hearing all this.

"If I really did hurt you, would Tigrerra still be with me?" he said, showing her the white bakugan in the palm of his hand.

"Tig!" Runo exclaimed, happily as the said bakugan jumped in her direction. Runo caught her with her hands.

"I'm happy to see you again. Please, listen to what Dan has to say, M'lady," she said. Runo looked at her and nodded, then looked back at Dan.

"I loved you, Runo. And, I still do. What happened was so hard on me, it's like my life is empty now. The only reason I am living now is-" Dan started, but was cut-off.

"Is to take my revenge," Runo continued his statement.

"Yes," he said, still wondering how she was to know.

"Dan, what really happened that night?" she asked. She knew he could be lying to her and Tig, but she still wanted to hear his side of the story.

* * *

**So, how was it? It was a long chapter, so hopefully that made up for the late update. What could Dan's story be? And, is he really telling the truth? **

**R&R  
****P.S: go to my profile and read 'my upcoming stories' section then go check out the pole I set there. Vote for which story should I write first?**


	6. Dark Intentions

**Hey guys! I want to thank all of you who had reviewed, alerted and added the story to their favorites. You guys rock! I love all of you. I'm glad you really like the story. Sorry for the late update guys, but I had to write lots of stories this time XD **

**Review replies:**

**Starksymd: **thx so much for your review^^ yay! Got myself a gift, lol. We'll see if he's the murderer, but you might be surprised *puts hand on mouth* I really should stop before telling you the whole story –_-''

**Starbright-708: **thx a lot for reviewing and glad you liked it. Well, we are all confused :P we'll see if it's true or not later on in the story. Well, did you like the song? Hope you enjoy this one^^

**Sliver-star99: **thx a lot for reviewing, I'm glad you like the story^^ sorry about the late update. You just have to wait and see :) hope you enjoy this one.

**xxMyNameIsSecretxxx90:** thx a lot for reviewing and I'm glad you like the story :) sorry for taking so long :P hope you like this one.

**AliceXShunMEGAFan17: **thx for reviewing, glad you liked it. LOL, the review was really funny, I laughed so hard! I even shed tears because I laughed so HARD! Thx a lot for this review, I need some laughs. Hope you enjoy this one.

**Monochrome13: **thx for reviewing, glad you liked it^^ hope you enjoy this one.

**Breezyfeather: **thx so much for the review and glad you like the story^^ hope you enjoy this chapter^^

**Flippy17: **thx for reviewing^^ that was really sweet of you :) I'm so glad you liked it, yay me! Thx again and hope you enjoy this one.

**Colorfullife1993: **thx for reviewing =] glad you liked it, BFF, haha, very funny there MIRA, we'll see…we'll see.

**Fluffy cloud: **thx for reviewing and glad you liked it^^ hope you enjoy this one.

**Helios:** you're always the smart one, hn? Well, you gotta wait and see about that ;) thx a lot for reviewing and hope you enjoy this one.

**Dan and Runo 4 eva: **hehe, you are happy aren't you? Well, you shouldn't be, after all we still didn't make sure :P thx for reviewing and hope you enjoy this one^^

**Lol:** thx a lot for reviewing, glad you liked it and hope you enjoy this one.

**xXPhantomGirlXx93: **well, it's early to say that :P thx a lot for reviewing and hope you enjoy this one^^

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

**Between Past, Present and Future**

**Chapter six: Dark Intentions.**

The sun slowly rose from beyond the horizon, colouring the sky with rays of violet and yellow at the early morning hours. As it took its place in the middle of the sky, the coulors became different shades of yellow crossing the blue sky; signifying that it was already a little before noon.

Exhausted from yesterday's battle, the battle brawlers chose that time to wake up. With fresh yawns and warm showers they all came to be fully awake. Well…at least all of them. Drago slowly hoped on Dan's face and nuzzled the brunette's nose, trying to wake him up. Dan moved his face, annoyed by Drago's doings. He finally gave in and shot up straight, knocking Drago off of him and onto the floor in the process.

He let a huge yawn and scratched his cheek as he looked at the ground. He laughed nervously and picked the red ball up. "Sorry buddy," he apologized and Drago shook his head to say it was okay. Dan smiled at him and sat on the couch properly. His feet touching the ground and his back hitting the couch's one. He stretched; sure people didn't lie when they said it was uncomfortable to sleep on a couch. His body ached in multiple places and he felt his bones were now crushed.

"Oh, good, you're awake,'' Alice said as she entered the lab. Shun walked behind her. "Are you okay?" she said, sitting down on the couch. Shun sat next to Dan as well, to his right as Alice sat to Dan's left. Dan looked down then back up at his friend.

"Yah, I'm fine, I guess," he said.

"It's really crazy what's happening in here, it doesn't even feel like our future. Runo didn't mean what she had said, Dan, just give her some time,'' Shun said, resting his head on his crossed arms that leaned on the couch, in a concerned tone.

"Dan, I'm sure there's an explanation to everything, don't you worry," Alice said, smiling. It was an attempt to cheer Dan up. Sadly, it failed.

"NO! Can't you see, Alice? I'm a criminal now, I'm the evil one this time! There's nothing more to explain," he said. Hurt, sorrow and regret filled his being. Alice looked down, feeling guilty.

Shun stood up, making the two look in his direction, his eyes were closed and his arms were folded in front of his chest. "Come on, now. Alice said that breakfast will be ready soon," Shun said and walked in the direction of the door. Alice stood up and followed. Dan took some time to get up and follow the duo, but eventually he did, with Drago resting on his shoulder.

* * *

The palace was the brawler's base on Vestal. It was divided into sections. One was the main base the brawlers stayed in; it contained their rooms and training areas, not to mention the laboratory where they conduct their experiments. The other section, which is located to the east of the palace, contained the main kitchen where food was cooked and served. The last section is the higher towers.

The higher towers are where the throne room is. Not many people have access to it as it's highly secretive, for all the plans and decisions come from that place. Only few are allowed up there, the ones their metal I.D cards have the password that will open the gates. The brawlers, excluding Shun, were not allowed to enter it as well. The gates and walls of the towers are made from a strong material, the strongest found on Vestal. It can stand any kind of attacks, including the bakugan attacks.

In one of the high towers sat a person, alone. The sharp look his eyes held had rage in between its spaces. His plan was finely working, that was until Runo's kidnapping. It worried him, what if? What if he was to fill her head with matters he didn't want her to know? It may not be good for his plan.

His fingers hit the table in front of him, one by one, somehow creating a nerve-killing melody. He stopped; annoyed and then sighed. It was definitely a sigh out of not being satisfied with the current situation. He let the fingers of his right hand travel through the strands of his hair. Thinking about everything he was facing. After a while of that thinking, a glint of an idea shone in his eyes as his frown lit up in a smirk.

_Maybe I would take this to my advantage. Hmm, I wonder if it will work, but first of all, Dan Kuso must disappear from my way._ _If he is to go, then I shall fulfill my plan. _With that thought, an evil laugh echoed in the empty room he stood in.

He got up from his seat and walked towards the door. Once he was close enough; the door opened by itself, for the sensors set beneath the ground sensed his movements. The light of the corridor lit up the dark room a bit. Then…the darkness returned as the door closed.

* * *

Dan got out of Shun and Alice's room. He had asked his two friends to let him use their bathroom, since he didn't want to enter the room he and Runo used to share. He just didn't feel she wanted to see him…and he couldn't find it in him to blame her.

He started walking in the hallway that leads to the kitchen for the breakfast will be served there. He was putting a towel around his neck and onto that towel sat Drago, deep in thought. It was the thud he had heard and the dizzy feeling he felt after spinning on the ground that waked him up from his thoughts. He regained his balance and stood on his feet then looked at Dan, who, obviously, was the source of the previous thud.

Dan sat on the floor and rubbed his head. He looked at his shoes and found out he hadn't tied his shoelaces; it was probably the reason he had tripped. He sighed.  
When he was about to tie his shoe, the lights in the hallway flickered, then…the lights were out. Dan stood up, not knowing what to do. "Hello? Is anyone there?" he asked while turning around himself, not able to recognize any of his surroundings because of the darkness. "Drago, what do you think is going on?" he asked.

"I don't know, Dan. But, whatever it is, it can't be good. Stay alert," Drago said and jumped onto Dan's shoulder. He was able to see, but just a bit.

Dan stood in his place. Drops of sweat slid down the right side of his face. He was worried.

Out of the darkness that engulfed the hallway, two hands extended from the black surroundings as someone stood behind the two. He quietly approached; neither took notice of his presence. His hands slowly moved closer to Dan's neck wanting to take hold of it. Those dark intentions that lied within the soul of that person…it was almost as dark as the lightless hallway they stood in.

Drago, being put on Dan's shoulder, sensed the skin that covered the hand of the attacker. "DAN! LOOK OUT!" He yelled, warning Dan. Dan quickly moved out of the way, startled by Drago's warning. As he moved, his neck came in contact with the hand. Just for a brief second. His own hand found its way to his neck, he was about to be chocked, but whom…he stood there for a second and looked at the place he stood in a few moments ago.

"Who's there?" Dan demanded. No reply.

Silence…

Then, the sound of metal colliding with each other…

Silence once more…

Abruptly, a laser beam in the colour of red came past Dan's left shoulder, missing it by mere centimeters. Soon, more came his way. Dan struggled to avoid being hit. He managed to dodge a laser shot when another one hit his left shoulder. Dan shrieked in pain as he sank to the floor with his right hand put on his wound. He heard the laser gun's sound, one it made as it was being refilled. He froze.

Was this it? Was he to die this way? Helpless and defenseless…hated by millions of people and…lonely. But, why was he attacked? He smiled to himself, one of irony. There were countless reasons at that moment. Maybe it would be better if he died, then he wouldn't grow up to be the person he is. He sat there. He didn't want to move, he came to accept his end.

Another shot. The laser beam lit up a small area of the narrow hallway, then disappeared…

"What's going on in there?" a feminine voice asked. The lights were back on again. Alice2 gasped at the sight.

Dan was on the floor, Drago was by his side. She quickly went to where he was and knelt on the floor by his side. His eyes were shot as he lay lifelessly on the floor. Alice2 feared the worse. She shook the kid before her as some tears started gathering in her eyes. Dan moved a bit. She sighed in relief. Dan opened his eyes afterwards and started touching his face and chest; still not believing he was alive. Alice2 instantly hugged him. After realizing what she was doing, she let go of him.

"D-Dan, what happened?" She asked.

"Someone was in the hallway…he was trying to kill me!" Dan said, shaking a bit. Alice2 was surprised by this.

"Is that so?" The duo heard a deep voice say. They turned around to find Shun2 standing before them. They stood up, with Dan still placing his hand on his wound. "You have to be careful, Dan. Many people here would like seeing you dead," Shun2 said and walked back to the kitchen. But there was something about his tone, it was dripping with seriousness; Dan has never heard that tone in Shun2's voice since he had arrived. It worried him.

"Come on, Dan. Let me fix your wound and then we can go to the kitchen," Alice2 said.

"No, I lost my appetite. Mind if I go for a walk?" Dan asked.

"But, you might get hurt again," She said, concerned.

"I'll be fine," he said.

From his tone, Alice knew he was confused. Lots of things were on his mind and she understood he wanted to think things over. She sighed in defeat and nodded, telling him it was okay for him to go, but gave him a gate card in case he needed to use Drago and defend himself. She didn't let him go, though, without her fixing his wounds. After she said goodbye to him, she made her way to the kitchen.

"You seem to be going well with Dan," Hydronoid stated. Alice2 looked down then back up.

"I don't know, Hydra, but…sometimes I feel that he's my friend," Alice2 said, truthfully.

"Because he is; he shouldn't be punished for things he hadn't done yet," He said. Alice2 thought about it for a second and then nodded.

"I'll give it some thinking," She said and they both were really close to where the kitchen was located.

…

Alice entered the kitchen to find everyone sitting in their chairs around the wooden rectangular table. A lot of seats were empty, but she chose to sit down next to her fiancé. Shun2 was sitting on one side with Marucho to his right, opposite from the young Shun and Alice.

When Alice2 was about to sit down; Shun2 looked at her and smiled. She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the lips. It was short, but was long enough to disturb the younger teens. Alice quickly looked down, her cheeks crimson red while Shun glared at the two with a blush on his face.

"Get a room you two! You just had to kiss in front of us," Shun said and looked away from Alice, who was sitting to his left.

"You must get used to it," Marucho stated and he, Shun2 and Alice2 laughed at Shun's and Alice's reaction. Shun frowned, but he was happy inside. Alice blushed.

They started eating the weird and gooey food that was put on the table. Well, Shun and Alice looked at the green balls on their white plates then at the others who were eating as if nothing could taste better. The duo gulped. Shun grabbed a ball and put it in his mouth before the jelly like matter fell from his hand. After few seconds, he spat it on the floor and whipped his mouth with one word escaping it; 'disgusting'. He couldn't believe how Vestal food was so, so…yucky. Mira, Ace and Baron sure cooked normal food back in new vestroia.

"You must get used to it," Marucho said, eating a red long 'thing' that had eyes. "They are full of protein and helps you stay focused in battles,"

Shun and Alice didn't care if it had gold in it; they just knew they will never try it. They pushed their plates aside and said they were not hungry.

"Where's Runo so she would share this torture with us?" Shun asked and everyone looked at the empty chairs that were in their range.

"Maybe she doesn't want to eat?" Alice half stated and half asked. Marucho nodded agreeing with her.

"But, Dan is not here. Maybe we should ask her to come," Alice2 said and got up and started walking towards the door, as a sign that she was the one to call her.

…

Alice2 stood in front of Runo's room. She hesitated to knock. What happened yesterday was sure not easy on her or on Dan. She considered leaving, but that won't help the blue-haired girl. She had to talk to her friends to get over the breakup. She knocked on the door, but there was no reply.

No matter how many times she tried; she didn't hear a reply. Worry washed over her and she decided to open the door herself. She was in for a big shock. The room was empty with no sign of Runo. She checked the bathroom and it was empty as well. She trembled a bit in fear and worry. She took her communicator out and pressed a button, a few seconds later Shun2's face appeared.

"Alice…is there a-" she cut him off and said with a shaky voice.

"Runo, she's not in her room! I checked everywhere! I'm worried, where could she have gone?"

"Just calm down and meet us at the lab," Shun2 said, in an unusual calm tone. Alice2 nodded.

* * *

Dan walked through the streets in the area around the palace. He, at first, kept his head up, but after a while he started attracting unwanted attention so he put his head down, so he won't have to look in the eyes of the people around him.

He wasn't looking…still, he felt them staring at him. At times he would hear them whisper in each other's ears. Words, he wasn't able to know at that moment. Their glares and gazes started to annoy Dan. Those stares…he knew why he was getting them. It pained him; those stares were just twisting the dagger in Dan's heart. Reminding him of everything he tried to walk off. He started regretting going on this walk.

He didn't know how or when, but he was now walking aimlessly in the streets. He didn't know where he was going, but his legs seemed to be taking him to a tour on their own. Abruptly, they stopped. He looked up a bit and found himself in a field of some sort. Tall green grass covered the ground as far as the eye can see. Wild flowers grow under the shadows of the bushes and birds were chirping, happily.

He took a deep breath and a smile appeared on his face. The smile lived short. It was replaced by a shocked expression on Dan's face.

There, in front of him, lied the grave of his love; her older version in precise. The gravestone was covered with flowers, dry and fresh. Cards in many colours were tied to the flowers' bouquets, with words such as 'we'll miss Runo', 'we love you, Runo' and 'You'll live in our hearts forever'. He had known it was Runo's grave from those cards.

He came closer to the gravestone and put some of the flowers aside. Runo clearly was loved by many. The gravestone was a regular stone with an irregular shape. But a few words that were carved on it that caught his eye.

'Runo Misaki

A beloved daughter, sister and friend.

And by only Dan Kuso who's life ended; a beloved wife'

He was surprised to see that those words were written by him. He couldn't believe he dared to do such a thing after killing her himself…Tears slowly went down his face. Drago kept silent, not wanting to increase Dan's grief. Dan kept crying…silently.

The leaves on the trees suddenly moved by the effect of a strong wind blow that sent some of those green leaves to the ground. Dan felt his shirt being blown by the wind. His tears were seized…but it wasn't his doing. If it was for him he would have kept going for more, but tears, simply, didn't want to come out. He wiped the remaining droplets off of his face and stood up. He looked around him as if looking for something; one he didn't know for sure. His eyes looked down, another part of his body forcing him into doing things. The view sent chills down his spine.

The grass around his feet was being moved by the wind in a circle, and it kept moving surrounding his legs. A weird sensation took over him, but it felt nice. It was like everything in his life didn't matter anymore. It felt great to be free of guilt for some time.

_Dan…_ Dan heard his name being called in his ears.

_I missed you…_the voice said again. There was no mistaking that voice…it was Runo's. Dan looked scared all of a sudden. Drago noticed this.

"Are you okay, Dan?" Drago asked. Dan shook his head in a 'no' gesture.

"Drago…I'm hearing Runo's voice," he said.

"A-Are you sure?" Drago said, scared that Dan lost his mental composure.

"Yes…" he said and closed his eyes, "Shhhh," he ordered, addressing Drago.

_Everything will be just fine…I believe that…_she whispered in Dan's ears. He felt she was comforting him. He smiled.

"Runo…I…I'm sorry," Dan said, "I don't know what happened. Why everything had to be this way, I-" He was interrupted by Runo's voice.

_Everything will be cleared for you soon enough, but…be careful…_She whispered and her voice disappeared. The grass returned to its original state and Dan fell to the ground on his knees.

"Runo, NO! Don't go…" Dan said in a loud tone, one that got lower as he reached the end of his request.

"Daniel?" Drago asked the boy on the ground, who was looking at the sky, with worry in his voice. To Drago's amazement, Dan smiled, a true smile, and looked at the red ball near him.

"Drago, I think I am better than ever!" He said and stood back up. Drago was unable to show the confusion and the lack of understanding he truly felt.

* * *

The brawlers stood in the lab, in front of a huge computer. All worried and concerned for the worst consumptions were crossing their minds at the time. Alice looked at the computer screen, wondering what might happen. Was this machine supposed to help them? She didn't know. She looked down; if she stayed with Runo to talk to her that night instead of leaving her by her own, nobody would have been standing in this room wondering about the fate of their friend.

She felt a hand squeeze her; she looked up to find Shun's hand engulfing hers. She looked at him, her cheeks flushing. He looked down at her and smiled. "She'll be fine, I promise," He said. She smiled back, reassured by his words.

No, Shun wasn't sure at all. He was as worried as Alice and maybe even more, but he wasn't one to show it. Being the suspicious person he was, he knew Runo didn't flee herself. She doesn't know how to move around the palace and if she got lost she would have used the communicator given to her, but she didn't. Besides, even if she did try to escape the palace, though there's no reason for her to do so, she wouldn't have got far for the palace is protected by a red force field that can't be removed unless by using a metal card which the older brawlers have. Since they all have their cards, that option was crossed. There was only one other consumption and he prayed for it not to be true…The sound of the activation of the computer waked him up from his thoughts as he gazed at the careen with the others.

"Computer, search for the location of Runo Misaki," Marucho said. Apparently, the computer was voice commanded.

"Illogical requirement, Runo Misaki is deceased," The computer said in a feminine voice. Everyone looked down; no one knows how much hurt a computer could cause.

"Erase old information. Update data, Runo Misaki is alive," Marucho said, recovering first.

"Data updated," The computer said.

"Search for the location of Runo Misaki," Marucho commanded.

"Searching…" The computer announced. And everyone anticipated the results.

"Location found; coordinates 101/567," the computer said.

"View on map,'' Marucho commanded and after a few minutes the map appeared on the screen for everyone to be stunned.

"She's at…Dan's HQ!" Marucho voiced.

"I knew it!" Both Shuns yelled. They looked at each other then looked the other way, annoyed of the presence of a copycat.

"What are we going to do now?" Alice asked.

"Easy, we go there and save her. And…confront Dan once and for all," Shun2 said.

"Wait, we must take Dan with us, he can help. But he went walking and I don't know where," Alice2 said. Shun2 and Marucho nodded.

"Computer, search for the location of Dan Kuso," Marucho said.

"Locations found, coordinates 101/567 and 89/700," the computer said. When switching to map mode, the two locations appeared, one was Dan's HQ and the other was the green abandoned field.

"He's at…Runo's grave!" Marucho voiced. The room gasped, how was he to find it on his own?

"We mustn't waste time, you know, let's go get him," Shun said. Shun2 glared at him.

"Hey, I was going to say that!" He said accusingly.

"Quit being such a baby and let's go!" Shun said and left the lab. Shun2 growled but followed the young teen.

"Men," the two Alices said then smiled at each other.

For sure, those smiles and goofiness around head the deep fear and worry everyone felt about the last confrontation. What could happen then?

* * *

**I'm so freakin sorry for not updating in a long time! Hope the chapter made up for it :P thx a lot guys for your support! Only a few more chapters to go, wonder what'll happen? Silly me, I already know, but u don't. too bad for you.**

**R&R and tell me what do think will happen =] **


	7. The person behind the chaos

**Hey guys! I want to thank all of you who had reviewed, alerted and added the story to their favorites. You guys rock! I love all of you. I'm glad you really like the story. Sorry for the late update guys XD **

**Preview: **Dan "Kidnapped" Runo and took her back to his base. There she found out that Julie was betraying the brawlers. Dan kept an act up, telling Runo he was going to kill her unless she joins him but then begins to laugh after Runo declines saying that he hadn't laughed like this in a while and that it was all just a play. Later, he tells her the true story of what happened that night.

Meanwhile, Dan wandered through the city and found himself by Runo's grave; there he talks with Runo's spirit. The others at the base discover Runo's kidnap and decide to go and rescue her in a one and final battle.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

**Between Past, Present and Future**

**Chapter seven: The person behind the chaos. **

The brawlers stood firm in their places for some time…although they had decided to do something; they didn't actually have a good idea of what they should be doing. The silence was interrupted by Alice1,  
"So…what do we do now?" she asked. The others looked at each other as if telling her 'we don't know' with their glances.

"We don't actually know what should we be doing now…we never thought this moment could come…not now that is," The blonde spoke as he turned to look at the older Alice who nodded.

"Maybe you didn't, Marucho, but **I** was waiting for this moment to come for so long," Shun2 said as he entered the lab once more. Up until that moment no one really noticed he had left the room as they were trying to figure out their next move. They were all looking at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I'm sure you are all sick of fighting countless times with Dan. This would be the last time, I am done trying to talk him out of his plans…Spectra and I have been planning the final attack for so long, now it's time to move," he said causing everyone to wear a shocked expression upon their faces.

It had been a while since Alice2 had seen him this serious. She was used to his easy-going personality by now that she never thought he was to return to his old character ever again. But, judging from his behaviors lately, this was bound to happen. She knew he was hurt enough by Dan's betrayal and Runo's death, but she never thought Shun could quit trying to get Dan back to their side. She smiled ironically to herself…she should have seen that coming after he had gone back to the past to kill him.

To tell the truth, she felt scared, scared of what was going to happen next…

"Why are you all so shocked? You want to do something about it right? So get ready!" Shun said and Marucho nodded his head signaling he had understood the order.

Both Alice's went to change into their combat gear and so did Shun1 and Marucho while Shun2 was already dressed. As the group was testing the guns, someone walked into the lab with a smile upon his face. The group turned to glance at Spectra as he got near Shun2, placing a hand on the said guy's shoulder and nodding at him. Shun2 nodded in response as he pushed a button on his watch.

Shun2 got the watch near his mouth and as he started speaking his voice echoed through the whole palace.

"Attention everyone; the time has come, please get ready to go through plan 345, I repeat plan 345, this is not an exercise!" He put his hand down after finishing his message.

_Plan 345? How long have he been planning this! _Alice2 thought. Him spending long hours at the tower with Spectra, not telling her a single thing of what was happening…it all made sense now…

Shun2 looked at everyone with determined eyes and sighed. "I know this was surprising to all of you, but it's a plan we have been working on for so long, now it must be put into action. Alice, we still need that device of yours. Guys, I need you all to fight like you never fought before!" He said in an encouraging tone. The brawlers nodded.

"And I shall be going too, it's the **final** battle you know," Spectra said, putting much emphasis on the word 'final'.  
He stuck his hand into his pocket and made his way to the young Shun and Alice standing next to each other. They glanced at each other then turned to face Spectra, not really getting what he wanted. He took his hand out, inside them laid two different Bakugans with the attributes of Ventus and Darkus.

"Those are for you, to be able to fight properly," He said with a smirk. They both took their Bakugans and nodded.

"Now, to not waste any more time, we must get going," Shun2 stated.

"Don't forget to pick Dan up, he should be there since all of this would be over now," Alice2 said, her face low. Her fiance only agreed because of the expression she wore on her face. It pained him to see her like that. He walked up to her and held her chin with his right hand and raised it up so she would look at him directly in the face.

"I promise I would be back to my old self after this mission, ok?" He said with a small smile that was enough to cheer Alice up. She nodded with a smile as well.

"We better get going right now," he said, directing his words to the rest of the brawlers. They nodded and made their way to the ship that would take them to the scene of their final battle against Dan.

* * *

Faint whispers could still be heard around his figure…Men, women and even children, all started gathering slowly around him…Why? When? And How did they all come? Were questions he couldn't answer, as he was hardly paying attention to his surroundings. Maybe they were just wondering why he was staring at the grave before him so sadly, or why had he called Runo's name over and over, shouting it at times, in the hope of re-hearing her voice…maybe…

Even the red dragon that rested upon his shoulder said nothing to his partner. Confusion and agony filled his heart as what Dan had been feeling wasn't something alien to him…No…he understood exactly the meaning of being the reason of your beloved's death…

An engine roar waked Drago up from his state. A gush of wind surrounded the area as the brawler's ship landed nearby. Drago gazed at the ship as the brawlers got out from the ship and onto the green field. Drago felt the shoulder he was on, moving. He looked behind him to find Dan finally getting on his feet and looking in the direction of his friends.

"Dan!" Alice and Shun yelled at the top of their lungs as they ran up to him. Alice gave him a hug and Shun just stood there lecturing him about how he should not have left without letting them know and all. Dan just scratched his head and apologized.

Soon enough Alice2 joined the scene and started explaining the situation to Dan…the three of them along with the rest of the team and Drago waited for his reaction as an unreadable expression spread in his eyes.

Awkward silence…

"Then…let's go, what are you waiting for?" Dan said casually causing some to sweat-drop at his words.

"WE WERE WAITING FOR YOU TO SAY SOMETHING!" The two Shuns yelled in unison. Sparks flew between the two as they stared at one another, they once again thought about the same thing.

"What do you want me to say? It's the battle we all were waiting for. Besides…it'll be a chance to clear some stuff…" Dan said, his last sentence in a low voice as the words were directed to himself.

"Fine then, all set, let's go!" With those words they all made their way back to the ship…

As they walked, the crowd was still whispering, as they found a new subject to talk about…they just witnessed the beginning of the end, some thought it was the beginning of trouble but others saw it as an end to all troubles…

As the crowd had thoughts, the brawlers' minds could not rest as well…

Some were wondering if everything will go as planned…

Some wanted for all this to finally end so they could resume their life back…

Some were just thinking how they ended up in this mess…

Dan simply wanted to find the answers he needed, he wanted to understand what Runo meant, and he wanted to save his Runo as well…

And in one of the minds ran sinister ideas…of how to finally bury up his sin and continue to live normally…

All thoughts were put on hold as the ship reached its destination…now, it all begins.

* * *

Loud sirens went off through the building, taking everyone by surprise. Young men and women started gathering in the main lobby, getting ready to defend their base and leader at all costs.

Dan2 and Runo gazed at the screen before them, watching the brawler's ship landing in the clearing next to the base. They both shared looks of worry and anticipation as they stood there in silence, simply waiting for everything to either begin…or end.

The hidden doors of the base were opened and more than a hundred people emerged riding their different bakugans. The royal knights as well took off on their own bakugans and a battle started between the two parties.

The sky immediately changed color as the special card was used; it was hard to see the change though, for many flying bakugans filled the area.

Men were going down on both sides, the knights' mission was to simply keep the rebels busy so the brawlers would be able to sneak their way to the main base, and it looked it was working. Shun2 nodded his head to the rest of the team still waiting in the ship. They understood from Shun's gesture that it was time for them to move.

Slowly and carefully, they made their way in the direction of the base. But, sadly, it didn't exactly go the way planned.

An attack from a flying bakugan nearly took Marucho down. The sound of the explosion made by the attack caused the girls to scream, but they recovered soon as they needed to stand for themselves and attack.

Feeling more comfortable in the fight now that they have bakugans, Shun and Alice volunteered to take the attackers down while the rest could continue their way. Hesitantly, the others accepted and left the duo to continue their battle.

"Rise Ventus Allistar!" Shun yelled throwing the green ball in his hand.

The said bakugan stood steadily in front of Shun, his big green wings moving lightly with the wind as he held tight to the sword resting in his hand.

"Rise Darkus Demon!" It was Alice's turn to call forth her bakugan, who was a tall, elegant looking elf wearing a purple dress, but as her name said, she had many tricks up her sleeve.

Shun and Alice looked at each other, their eyes asking one another to be safe and silently wishing each other luck.

They rode their Bakugans and so their battle began…

…

The rest of the team continued walking further and further, right now Shun's Ventus wolf and Alice's Darkus Hydranoid were summoned to defend them from any harm. Now that it was known that they arrived they needed to act quick before Dan could add other means of protection to his base.

The bakugans continued to act as shield as the brawlers finally reached the main door of the base. Alice quickly took her device out of the sack she brought along with her. She carefully placed it near the keyboard on which they needed to type the security code in order to enter the base.

Alice hurriedly activated the device and punched the starting code and waited…everyone eyed the screen of the device waiting nervously for it to hack into the system…But…all eyes went blank as the screen read in red letters "system error".

"Alice, what happened?" Shun asked as he was hoping she would say it was nothing, but the look in her eyes said otherwise.

"I don't know what's wrong! It worked perfectly at the lab!" Alice said, anxiously and started retyping the code. She waited for a few seconds along with everyone else only to receive the same message.

Shun hit the door with his fist, angry about what was happening. Alice continued to retype the code as Marucho revised the blue prints of the device to see if he could detect the problem. Spectra was still occupied with the battle with some rebels trying to prevent them from entering.

"Guys! What's going on? Hurry up!" he yelled as she shot another attack at the enemies.

"It's not working!" Alice yelled back, "I don't know what went wrong!"

"What?" Was all he could say.

The situation was getting gloomier by every passing second. No one was able to think of anything…was this the end of their fight? Will they just get back to the palace tailing nothing but failure behind them? They just couldn't believe it…

"let me try something…" Dan's voice took everyone out of their current trances. They looked at him with a questionable look in their eyes.

He stood next to Alice and instead of punching the numbers on the device, his hand reached for the door's keyboard. He typed some numbers in it. A few more seconds of waiting passed the team, surprisingly, it ended with the door opening…

Shun, Alice and Marucho stared at Dan for some time as their minds tried processing what just happened…Dan noticed the looks he was getting and said in a casual way, "He's still me you know," …"I haven't changed my password since I was ten,"

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THAT EARLIER?" Shun yelled, trying to stop the urge to kill the brunette.

"Well, Alice was working hard on that thing and I didn't want it all to go waste!" He defended. Shun face-palmed as a sigh escaped his lips…nevertheless he was happy they could go through.

"What are we waiting for? We must keep going," said Marucho and everyone nodded, making their way inside the building.

The rebels stopped their attack, as they didn't want to cause any damage to their base. They got off of their bakugans and made their way inside,, still willing to defend their leader till the last drop of their blood.

* * *

Though they didn't exactly knew where they were going, the brawlers kept running through every hall, opening every room and fighting whoever got in their way. The building was even bigger than it looked from the outside, and there were many floors they needed to look in, but nevertheless, they continued to fight, now that they were already in.

Dan2 watched silently as the brawlers ran from floor to floor…they were looking for him with a determined look in their eyes. He rested his chin on his hands, in a way, trying to organize all the thoughts he was having at the moment.

"What are you going to do now?" Runo said. Worry was apparent in her voice.

"Well, there isn't much of a choice here. Sooner or later, they're gonna find me," He said as he pushed a big red button on the keyboard before him.

He continued to press on it as his mouth neared the microphone attached to the keyboard. He cleared his throat first, to make sure it worked and to grab the attention of everyone in the building. "Hey guys," He started, directed to no one but the brawlers, "So you finally made your way through, congrats on that. Now all is left is to find me, I guess. Well if you wanna see me this bad, I'm in the control room, tenth floor, just go right from the stairs, easily found," He said and took his hand off of the button.

Runo looked at him, still shocked from what he said, not only did he tell them where to find him, but he did it without a second thought.

"They were coming here sooner or later…It's about time for everything to be revealed," He said, explaining as he sensed the way Runo felt. She nodded, it was finally the time.

…

The brawlers stopped moving forward. Each one of them was simply looking at the others, hoping that someone was to say something commenting on what they had just heard. The silence was getting more tensed for Alice, so she decided to speak.

"Do you think he was telling the truth?" Alice asked. Shun looked at her and nodded.

"It's not him telling the truth or not, for I knew that he wasn't lying as he knew we were gonna find him sooner or later…It's about this being a trap or not," Spectra spoke. Alice nodded; she hadn't given much thought to that.

"Are you going to just stand there forever? Or, are you going to continue what you were doing before?" Dan spoke taking everyone by surprise. "It doesn't matter if it's a trap or not! We need to go and get him right now! Runo is still there with him!" He yelled.

"Dan…" Was all Alice could say, she was amazed to see Dan like this, willing to go against…himself.

"You are right, trap or no trap; we're sticking with the plan! Let's go!" Shun said and started running towards the stairs he spotted in the end of the hall, the others followed quickly. It was finally time for them to meet face to face since a whole year.

…

The brawlers made it to the said room. Not a single guard met them on their way, worrying them a bit that this might actually be a fetal trap. The stood in front of the door for some time, staring the big sign saying "The control room" after quite a while of staring, Shun finally decided to open the door.

To their surprise, the room didn't explode, and no laser beams were shot at them. Inside the room stood Dan, leaning casually in the keyboard, his hand tied in front of his chest and his eyes were closed.

He lifted his head up to look at the crowd that just entered the room. His face held no emotion. Just a plain smirk as he looked at them.

"You know, I nearly lost hope you were going to come," he said, sarcastically, this pissed Shun a bit, causing him to shoot Dan2 with his gun.

Shun's action surprised young Dan, he didn't know how to react, he didn't want Dan to die, not before he gets to know some stuff. Thankfully, Dan2 wasn't hurt in any way. A shield hung over him protecting him from any harm. Dan sighed in relief.

"Still hiding behind that shield?" Shun said. He knew he wasn't gonna cause any harm to him, he just wanted to express his anger.

"Well, did you think I would invite you here and not protect myself? I'm not planning to die, not as of yet," Dan2 said, smiling a bit.

"We didn't come here to listen to your stories, we came her to arrest you and for you to have a fair judgment of your crimes!" Spectra said.

"I'm not the one who is going to talk, she is," Dan said as Runo emerged from behind him, Tigrerra on her left shoulder.

Dan looked at her, relieved she was fine, she wasn't harmed or anything, she was…alive. He felt like running up to her and hugging her, but that was inappropriate at the moment.

"You must listen, what you know is not the truth!" Runo defended.

"Don't tell me he was able to lie to you and mess with your mind?" Shun said.

"No one messed with my mind. Listen to what I have to say till the end," She said. Before anyone can protest, Dan voiced his statement.

"Tell us what you know, at least we would hear from all the parties," Dan said. The only reason he was here today was to know the truth. His head was getting confused with the many ideas and thoughts he was having…he just wanted it all to end.

"I'm with Dan, let's hear what she have to say," Alice said. Runo took this as a gesture for her to speak.

"I have been told the real story, what you didn't know about that night," She started. "It wasn't Dan who killed Runo three years ago; it was someone else, the real reason for this mad chaos,"

No one changed expression as they knew something like that would be said.

"Who is it, Runo?" Dan urged.

"It was…" she said and raised her hand to point at the accused person. "Him,"

Dan looked to his left and Alice to her right, to see Runo's finger pointing at…Shun.

* * *

**I'm so freakin sorry for not updating in a long time! Hope the chapter made up for it :P thx a lot guys for your support! So, Runo pointed at Shun, I bet none of you saw that coming, well except for **flippy17**, lol. Also, We are near the end of this story, maybe this was the second or third last chapter. The chapter was dedicated to all of you guys who supported me all the time :) Hope you enjoyed it.**

**R&R and tell me what do u think will happen =] **


	8. What happened that night

**Hey guys! I want to thank all of you who had reviewed, alerted and added the story to their favorites. You guys rock! I love all of you. I'm glad you really like the story. Sorry for the late update guys XD **

**Last time the chapter ended with a cliff hanger hehe :P now let's see what happened ^^**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

**Between Past, Present and Future**

**Chapter eight: The secrets of that night. **

"Who is it, Runo?"

"It's…him," Runo said, calmly as she pointed her finger towards a certain person.

Dan's heart raced as his head turned to look in the direction Runo's finger pointed. The shock that filled his entire being nearly gave him a heart attack…his mouth only muttered the name of his supposedly best friend. With widened eyes and petrifying surprise he waited to listen to what was to come.

"It was not me! What the hell, Runo?" Shun2 muttered as he tried to shake the surprised eyes that had begun to disturb him, as his heart too began to race.

"Who said I was talking about you, idiot! It's the one behind you!" Runo muttered, irritated at the black-haired man.

Alice2 calmed momentarily after hearing what Runo said. She, too, nearly died of shock at that very moment. She knew Shun had it in him to do crazy stuff, but killing a best friend was definitely not among them. Now, all that was left was to see who the person behind Shun was…

All eyes widened as Runo and Dan2 remained silent.

"Spectra?"

The united voices muttered.

"It was…you?" Shun asked, shock apparent in his voice.

All eyes turned to look at the said man.

"This is absurd! Why would I kill her? I was never on bad terms with her," He defended.

His voice was calm. He never stuttered nor was he nervous. He was either innocent or he knew how to hide well.

Shun2, Alice2 and Marucho stood there. There wasn't any reason for them to believe what Runo had said. Dan could have easily manipulated her thoughts, he could lie to her easily and she would believe him…that was what they tried to convince themselves but what they were hearing shook their thoughts up.

Could Dan truly be innocent?

Were they opposing the wrong person?

…

…

"What is your prove?"

The question took all parties by surprise and out of their current thoughts. Not because of the question itself but because of the person who muttered it.

"What is your prove?" Dan asked once more causing older Dan to smirk.

"I don't have any…" Dan2 answered. "I was never interested in collecting any evidence. All I was focusing at was taking my revenge; I never cared about convincing anyone," Dan2 paused.

"However, I did care about convincing Runo. And she wanted to tell you what happened,"

"Then what did happen?" Dan asked, in a serious tone.

Others present in the Room also awaited the answer.

"If you want to know then very well, but I still can't prove it to you. It's up to you to believe it or not," Dan2 said, calmly, as if he didn't care about the outcome.

Shun2 looked at Spectra asking him mentally if he really wanted to her. Spectra shrugged saying he didn't mind.

"Guys, please listen carefully to what he has to say," Runo said with pleading eyes then turned to look at Dan and smiled in his direction. Dan returned her smile, he was certainly happy to see her well and alive.

"It had been quite some time since we came to Vestal with Spectra after he asked us to help him defend the capital against the rebels. In the middle of a battle something happened with one of the rebels that made me think we were doing something wrong…"

_Another fight was taking place near the outskirts of the capital between the rebels and the royal knights._

_The brawlers were on their bakugans fighting as many rebels as they can off. It was hard though; most of the rebels were past members of the royal guards and were trained to fight back when they lived in the castle. _

_As the brawlers fought they tried to make sure none of the rebels or the royal guards died while fighting, it was never in their intention to help kill them but to capture them and let them have a fair trial. But that didn't always go as wished…_

_Drago shot a blast of fire that was aimed to hit the leg of the bakugan a rebel was on, but another bakugan took the blast after being thrown in the fire-way by a royal guard. The huge ball of fire hit the Bakugan dead on and it fell to the ground with the man on its back. _

_Drago quickly landed on the ground and Dan made his way to the wounded man. He was about to call for help, but the man stopped him and said:_

_"Why are you doing this? The brawlers are supposed to be good," _

_Dan started at him, confusingly as the man stopped breathing. _

_That night after the battle he retained to the base with the others. The words the man said never left his mind, it was normal for them to be acknowledged as the "bad guys" if they were fighting with rebels, but something didn't seem right in his opinion. _

_He started asking people from outside the capital about the time they were not there, going as far to even ask one of the rebels about the situation and why were they fighting, only to find out they weren't rebels but resistance. _

_Their country was ruled by Spectra, but apparently he had his eyes set on invading other close nations to expand his kingdom, he used many sources to do so. The cities other than the capital were damaged by this and in order to stop this they decided to rebel, they told him._

_Dan didn't know what to do at that time…He couldn't just go ahead and tell everyone without having an evidence. He stopped fighting properly in the battles and nearly got himself hurt, he too spend many time outside of the palace, trying to learn more._

_His weird behavior was noticed by his wife, Runo, she demanded to know what was on his mind and on the end Dan decided to tell her as this would leave some of the burden off of his shoulders. He told her everything he found out and though he couldn't prove it to her, she believed him. _

_The two of them stopped battling the rebels, using Runo's pregnancy as an excuse. They took the time to gather some information and ended up with nothing. In the end Dan decided to confront spectra and get the truth straight from him. _

_Runo knew what he was planning and she wanted to help, but Dan refused to let her go with him and he send a message to Spectra saying he wanted to meet him for an urgent matter._

_Feeling worried about her husband confronting Spectra, Runo changed the time of the meeting in the message, deciding to meet him instead. And so that's what had happened. _

_Dan went to the meeting place at the set hour. Instead of finding Spectra, he found Runo's body on the cold floor, she was still alive but didn't have that much time in her and so she died in his arm. He was then told by Tigrerra that Runo was killed by Spectra who feared his plan was to be discovered._

"He then went ahead and framed me and you didn't allow me to have a say in the matter... I decided to join forces with the resistance in order to reach him and have my revenge," Dan2 finished telling the long story.

He had turned his face away from the others near the middle of the story, not wanting them to notice the changing features of his face or the fresh tears forming in his eyes. But his voice gave him away…He never wished to remember those events, maybe, just maybe if he hadn't told Runo anything she would have been okay, if he hadn't worried her like this nothing was to happen to her…Maybe…

"What the…?" Shun2 said.

The story shook the brawlers standing up. Dan's voice…it wasn't normal as he spoke, it was hoarse and he needed to stop every now and then to take some breath. It was clearly hard on him to say what they were hearing. It almost felt the story was…real.

"So…that's what had happened." Dan said looking at the ground.

"Why? Why did you do this, Runo?" Marucho said as tears flowed down his face.

The room was filled with a sad atmosphere…

…

…

"Do you expect anyone to believe your drama?" Said Spectra, ''How many hours did you spend creating this story?"

The others were brought out of their thoughts. They all stared at him.

"What you heard is not a lie…I told what had truly happened and it's up to them to believe it or not!" Dan2 said through gritted teeth.

"If you wanted your revenge so bad you could have just killed me now instead of telling the tale,"

Dan2 took his laser gun out and shot at Spectra. The shock didn't allow anyone to react, they watched as the laser beam shot in Spectra's direction, only to go through him. He was nothing more than a histogram.

"I would have if you were really here."

The brawlers looked at Spectra's histogram standing before them. It was so well made that not even Marucho noticed. Something wasn't right.

"What, Spectra? Afraid of a one-on-one battle after all these years?" Dan said as he glared at the histogram. Though it was only an image, he couldn't help but hate it.

"Oh Dan, how naïve. If one can get the job done without having to fight then why fight?" A voice said.

The histogram vanished…

The room was soon enough filled with the royal guards. They, after some struggle, managed to tie up the brawlers.

Dan2 quickly stepped in front of Runo, in an attempt to shield her from any attack that was to come. Runo's heart skipped a beat as worry and fear took over her being.

Dan2 used his gun to fire at the guards holding the brawlers, but he wasn't able to get a clear shot in the fear of hurting them.

"You better stop, Dan or else they will get hurt," Spectra said as he entered the room.

The guard held a firm grip on the brawlers.

Dan gritted his teeth as he looked at Spectra with hatred in his eyes. "You're still a coward! Fight like a man!"

"You just don't learn, do you? I told you, why fight when you can use other methods?" He said as a smirk appeared on his face.

Dan fixed his gaze on him, this couldn't be good! He held his laser gun and began shooting at Spectra, only for the same red shield to appear around his body.

Instead of opening fire, Spectra walked towards one of the guards, who was holding Alice2 as captive. He held her face in his hand, Alice struggled to get out of the guard's grip, but it was too firm.

"God, you were all so easy to manipulate! But today your role ends…such a pity, right Alice?" He said staring into Alice's eyes. A shiver ran down her spine.

"You let her go!" Shun yelled as he too was struggling against the three guards holding him back.

"You are in no position to say anything!" Spectra said as an evil laugh followed, but only for a few seconds as his body soon came in contact with the floor.

"I'm still here you know! Your field is defenseless when it comes to kicks," Dan2 said as he stood not too far away from Spectra's body with a smirk on his face.

Spectra got up for the ground in an instance. He was humiliated in front of his own guards and he wasn't about to let it pass. He took off his rope and stood in a fighting stance. "Hitting people from behind is low, Dan," he hissed as the two began circling around each other.

"Well, you weren't playing fair to begin with!" Dan2 said as he dodged a hit and delivered one to Spectra's stomach. Spectra took hold of it as pain shot through his body.

The guards' attention was distracted by the battle; distracted enough that Shun was able to free himself from their grip along with the others. The now freed brawlers joined Dan2, standing behind him, smiles lighting their faces up.

At that moment, no words were spoken; but the connected hearts and locked eyes were enough. Dan looked around him; it had certainly been a while since he last saw everyone around him like this. He had always told himself that he only needed to take his revenge so he could leave this world, his friends seeing him as innocent or not didn't matter, but now that they did know the truth, it actually relieved him a bit and even if it was only for seconds, he appreciated that.

The brawlers too were happy, for they got back on the right track before making a huge mistake. They were now back as a team, and no one was to separate them. Runo stood next to Dan, now more than before she felt happy she was with him, that she was to marry him in the future, but of course that was to remain a secret. She also understood her older-self's actions; Dan was simply someone she couldn't afford to lose.

"Such a nice party there, mind if I crash in, Dan Kuso?" Spectra said as the royal guards stood behind him ready for his orders.

"Come on in," Dan said as he motioned him to come at him with his hand. His body immediately took a fighting stance.

"Kill them all, don't leave any alive!" Spectra ordered and the men yelled in unison "Yes, sir!"

The two teams soon collided with each other, signaling the beginning of the final battle between good and evil.

* * *

**So, this ends the chapter, the next one will be the last. It didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted it :/ there was no inspiration XD Hopefully next chapter there would be plenty :P So whatya think guys? Of course I would die than make shun the bad guy in my story hehe :P u all fell for it right? XD and some even threatened to kill him in the reviews! Lol **

**Hopefully, I wish you liked this crappy chapter, see ya next time ^^ **

**R&R and tell me what do u think will happen =] **


	9. The final stand

**Hey guys! I want to thank all of you who had reviewed, alerted and added the story to their favorites. You guys rock! I love all of you. I'm glad you really like the story. Sorry for the late update guys XD **

**I really never felt this tired before :/ college don't let ya rest **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Between Past, Present and Future**

**Chapter nine: The final stand**

* * *

Laser guns were useless against the shields everybody wore; it was something they were grateful for as the martial combat with kicks and fits was enough trouble to deal with at that moment.

The screams and moans of the fallen guards filled the room. The brawlers were outnumbered but they could manage just fine; fights like this were nothing but a child's play for them now. But, even though they did injure a lot of them, many kept coming through the doors of the room; it seemed Spectra had a lot of backup planned.

...

Nobody could put the fire within Dan2's heart out; if anyone was to try he would be burnt with its raging, red flames. God only knew how much he had waited for this moment, his final battle with Spectra, to come. Though, he couldn't fight Spectra as the guards kept getting in his way but soon enough there would be no guards left and Spectra would be all alone and they could finally fight once and for all. To get to that point, he allowed the flames within to burn everyone who stood in his way.

...

Alice and Julie were fighting side by side, helping each other get rid of the knights who charged at them with all there force.

"Jeez, don't you guys know it's rude to hit a girl?" Julie said as she dodged a fist from one of the knights. Alice could not help but smile.

Minutes ago she considered her a traitor and now they were fighting side by side as best friends should and boy she was happy about that. Julie too was happy; she was fed up with the situation for so long that she feared wrinkles would soon invade her face; but now she felt she could take out her stress on the poor guards that came her way. It felt good.

...

Shun was fighting not too far away from where the girls were, he was fighting any knights or guards that came his way easily using his ninja skills. Behind him stood Dan and Runo as they used Shun as a shelter from the many attacks they were getting. They were not skilled in the martial arts area. Not that Shun minded, he was glad he could take it out on somebody.

…

…

Spectra had a shocked expression on his face as he gazed at the figure before him, around him laid the bodies of his wounded knights and guards. In the middle of the mess, stood Dan2 facing his enemy. He smiled through his hard breaths and stood steadily though every part of his body was aching.

How he waited for that moment. The three years he waited, the times his friends fought him, the times he was called a criminal and the times he cried his late wife…they all seemed to disappear now that he was minutes away from achieving his victory.

"Now, it's your turn," He said. Spectra smirked.

"I'll be done with you in no time,"

With that said the two charged at each other with Spectra gaining the upper hand as Dan was exhausted from his previous fights. He was thrown on the floor after another punch of Spectra hit him. He laid on the floor with closed eyes.

"Is that all you got? I expected more of you." Spectra said as he neared the 'unconscious' Dan.

As soon as Spectra was close enough, Dan2 sent him to the floor as he aimed a kick at his legs. Once he was on the ground he quickly took Spectra's shield and gun and threw them roughly on the ground breaking them into pieces and turned to look at Spectra who was getting up, growling.

Dan2 smirked.

"What did that achieve?" Spectra asked.

"It's so I can kill you easier after finishing you off." Dan2 answered as he sent a kick in Spectra's direction which hit him dead on.

Spectra wiped the blood off of his face and laughed. "We'll see who finishes the other off!" Though he said that, he couldn't help but feel scared of Dan's anger, that anger he tried to escape since the day he killed Runo. He came to regret it now.

Most of the knights stopped fighting after the main battle between the two started and this gave the brawlers a chance to witness the battle too, especially Shun who was completely absorbed. He reacted with every bunch and kick and lost his attention of the surroundings a little.

And that little bit was enough for a guard to sneak up on him and get a hold of young Dan, who too was watching the battle paying no attention to anything else.

…

Spectra was thrown on the floor and it was hard for him to get up. He clutched to his side as he was coughing blood which made it harder to breathe. Dan smirked as the thought of victory crossed his mind.

But evil shouldn't be taken lightly…

The guard holding Dan1 joined the scene of the battle and the older Dan eyed him, shocked and quickly turned around and glanced at Shun who was as shocked as him. He turned back to face Spectra with an angry face.

"Looks like the table had turned!" He said as he tried not to stagger as he stood up.

"Let him go Spectra! Your fight is with me!"

"That's where you are wrong, for he is you." He said and let out an evil laugh.

Spectra neared Dan1 who was struggling against the firm grip of the guard and smirked. He could hear Dan2's footsteps behind him, as Dan was probably trying to try and free his younger self. Suddenly, an evil idea sparked in his mind.

He grabbed Dan1's neck and tightened his grip on it in an attempt to suffocate him and Dan1 instantly had difficulties breathing. But that was not what caused the brawlers to yell at Spectra to let him go, or what surprised the knights present in the room.

Dan2 fell on his knees not too long after Spectra got his hands on Dan1. It seemed since they both were the same person but from different times that they were affected by what happens to the other and as a result Dan2 found himself unable to breathe and he was gripping to his neck trying to get the hand he felt off, but nothing was there. The real hand was on his younger self's neck.

Runo's tears instantly fell as fear of losing the two grow in her heart. She was yelling at someone to do something, but everyone was too amazed to comprehend anything as everything happened so fast. Runo felt so useless.

Shun was the first one to recover and quickly he began attacking the knights standing in his way till he reached Dan2's side, but it seemed it was already too late.

He was lying limply on the floor, not breathing. Shun glanced at Dan1 held in spectra's arms and he was in the same state, but Spectra wasn't letting go of him.

"You monster!" Shun snapped as rage quickly took over his being. He was about to attack Spectra when a gunshot was heard and Dan1's body dropped to the ground as the laser hit Spectra's arm. Another one was shot at his leg to prevent him from moving and Spectra fell to his knees.

The whole room turned to look at the door, where they heard the gunshot come from, and saw Shun1 standing in the doorway panting, Alice1 next to him. Recovering fast from the shock, Shun2 kicked Spectra in the chest, he fell to the ground unconscious. A wave of relief washed over the brawlers as the knights and guards held their hands up, in a surrendering manner.

"Sorry we're late," Shun1 said as he approached his older version. "We captured the rest of his backup. I felt something was wrong after they received orders to leave the battle outside and come here," he continued.

"OMG, Dan!" Alice exclaimed, noticing the two limp bodies on the floor and quickly knelt beside the younger Dan and shook him lightly. Shun1 followed her actions.

Runo was kneeling next to older Dan. She didn't know why, though, as the more common action was for her to worry about her boyfriend who lives in her time. Her body moved on its own and now tears were streaking her face as she shook his body, violently, screaming at him to wake up.

He had suffered much, the older Runo sacrificed herself in order to protect him thus causing him deep grief. All she knew was that she didn't want him to have the same fate, she wanted him to live.

As if on cue, his body moved and soon his eyes opened as he coughed a couple of times before he felt his breathing was back to normal. Before he could do anything else he was hugged by a crying Runo and soon the worried brawlers joined the hug. They broke away soon, not wanting to suffocate him again.

Runo had a huge smile as she gazed at him, she was so happy her heart was about to explode. But…Dan had an aura that disturbed her as he glanced over to where Spectra was laying. He stood up and looked down at the unconscious body, a gun in his hand. Though Spectra couldn't hear him he muttered:

"You killed my wife, the love of my life. You killed our baby and took away my life from me. Now, I'm gonna take yours."

"Dan, wait!"

He looked at the girl who gripped his hand not allowing him to fire.

"Runo, move aside," He ordered. He could have easily pushed her away, but he couldn't find it in him to do that.

"He's not worth it. Don't dirty your hands with his blood.''

"But he killed you!" He yelled in frustration.

"And killing him won't bring me back to life!" She yelled back, tears falling freely from her eyes. "I wouldn't want you to do that," She added in a soft voice, specking from her older self's point of view.

The sound of the gun hitting the floor echoed in the room as Dan, too, dropped to the floor, tears in his eyes. He wanted revenge for so long and lived those years only to achieve it, but in the end Runo's words…He found himself unable to do it after what she said. He felt it was his dead wife talking and not her seventeen year-old self.

He raised his head and his arms found Runo's body, instantly. He hugged her tightly, and she hugged him back as well in a comforting manner. She was happy he didn't go through with the revenge in the end. If he did, he wouldn't have a reason to live anymore and who knew what could have happened then.

The others were crying at the scene. Some sobbing, others sniffing and some chose to stifle the tears for now. They were happy it was over and sad at the memory of their friend, that mixture of emotions was the cause of those tears.

…

"You know, I started getting jealous of me."

The brawlers turned to look at the younger Dan who voiced the statement. He did look rather angry.

"What do I have to do to get some attention around here?!" He yelled as he glared at Runo and Dan2, who had let go of her upon seeing Dan1's pissed of face.

"Dan, you're ok!" Runo said, happily.

"Glad you noticed!"

Runo rolled her eyes and walked to his side and gave him a quick peck on the lips. That was enough to shut him up as he was too shocked to react.

His expression earned a giggle from the brawlers. He sure changed the mood in the dark room.

* * *

The brawlers emerged from the building's door. The tied-up guards with them as well and instantly the resistance outside started cheering, happy their long fight was over. The true story of the long civil war was then broadcasted throughout the planet to explain to the oblivious population. Soon, a trial was mentioned and some members of the resistance started working on it.

The brawlers were currently in the palace walking towards the lab. Reaching it, Alice2 quickly started working on the time machine, pushing many buttons as she began entering the data required to start it.

"What are you doing?" Dan1 asked.

"The fight is over, everything will be fine now thanks to your help." Dan2 started.

"Now, there's only one thing left to do." Shun2 continued.

"Get you home," Alice2 said as the gasps of the younger brawlers were heard.

* * *

**Hope you liked the chapter; next one will be the last for sure this time XD This was a short, quick chappie, please pardon any mistakes as I didn't have the time to re-read it  
**

**I really enjoyed writing this story :D And I decided to use the plot in a novel I'm currently writing :3 of course the characters are different and so is the setting and the story but the main idea is the same…**

**thank you again for your constant support **

**R&R =] **


	10. Between our Past and Future

**Hey guys! I want to thank all of you who had reviewed, alerted and added the story to their favorites. You guys rock! I love all of you. I'm glad you really like the story. Sorry for the late update guys XD**

**Well it has been a while since I've been on the site XD but I'm done with the semester and so I plan to update my stories soon…hopefully. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

**Between Past, Present and Future**

**Chapter Ten: Between our past and future**

"Now, there's only one thing left to do."

"Get you home." Alice2 said as the gasps of the younger brawlers were heard.

The fact that they would return to their own time had totally slipped their minds, after all, they had been caught up in the matters on Vestal that they forgot they had a different planet and a different time to return to.

"You couldn't possibly stay here forever; it would ruin the time line. You have been gone for a while now, you should head back soon," Marucho explained. The brawlers nodded.

"So…I guess this is goodbye," Dan2 said as he stood before the young couple. He patted Runo's head, ruffling her hair a bit causing her to shove his hand away.

"Hey! Watch it Kuso!" Runo yelled with puffed cheeks.

"Sorry, still enjoy it," he said with a laugh. Then he turned to face the younger Dan. "I'll give you an advice before you go,"  
Dan1 looked at him with some interest.

"Runo is always right, even when she's wrong, she's right. That'll help end a lot of arguments," he added with a wink. That caused both of them to laugh and Runo to look at them with a confused expression on her face.

"I'll keep that in mind,"

…

Shun1 shook his head as he watched the trio talking and laughing. Some things cannot be changed even in ten years; the thought brought a faint smile upon his face. Alice1 had the same expression as she stood next to him.

Now they were to return to their semi-normal lives and face the future that awaits them, a future that might bring the news of his engagement to a certain redhead. He quickly shook his head as a light blush crossed his face.

"Thinking about Alice?" Came a question that got Shun to shock on air and the older Shun to chuckle. "Thought so,"

"Don't do that!"

"It's easy to sneak up on you when your thoughts are occupied," The older Shun commented with a smirk, causing the younger one to sigh angrily.

"Are you saying some unnecessary stuff, Shun?" Alice2 said as she neared the two. Shun2 cleared his throat.

"No dear." He answered as he put a hand on her waist pulling her closer to him, which earned him a blush from the younger Alice and a slap from the older one. Of course, if you look closely you would be able to see she was blushing too.

"Be very aware from this man, Alice!" Alice2 started, "He tends to become a pervert sometimes," The blush on Alice1's face only deepened in color. Shun2 looked at his fiancé somehow offended, while Shun1 gave his older self a mocking grin, as the comment wasn't exactly addressed to him…or was it in a way?

"But he's a good person." She managed to add in a low voice so that only Alice1 would hear. "Sometimes to get what we want we must step up a little," she added with a wink. Alice nodded understanding.

"Don't make her wait too long, you might lose her." Shun2 suddenly blurted as he eyed his fiancé talking to Dan and Runo. His tone wasn't the one he usually used but was a serious one this time.

"What do you mean?" the younger Shun questioned.

"You know what I mean," He said as he started walking towards the crowd, leaving a confused Shun behind.

…

"Guys, are you done hugging?" Marucho said in an awkward tone as he eyed the poor Brawlers being hugged by Julie. All except for Shun who managed to escape it somehow.

"Well, I'll just miss the young ones, that's all!" Julie said defensively, finally letting go of them.

"We are here for you, you know."

"It's just not the same!" She said in a whinny voice causing the people in the room to sweat-drop.

They were interrupted by the sound of a 'ding' indicating the time centre was fully operating and only awaiting the brawlers to ride, so it can start a new trip in the whirlwind of time.

The faces of the brawlers turned to the machine; they stood there mesmerized for a while before regaining their senses.

"I guess it's time to go guys," Dan1 said with a smile.  
He was happy with what he achieved on this adventure, clearing his name and helping save a new world. Maybe it wasn't All his work but he was happy he was a part of it.

"I suppose. Thank you for your "Advice"," Shun said looking at his older self who rolled his eyes as a response.

"I can't wait to see what the looks on Marucho and Julie would be when we get back," Alice said, letting out a small laugh that caught the attention of the younger Shun, who seemed to be caught momentarily in the scene.

As he waked up from his state he found himself face to face with a smirking Shun. Understanding the meaning of the smirk, Shun averted his gaze away with a faint blush on his face. Alice looked at him a bit confused but she too got a wink from the older Alice which caused her to have the exact reactions as Shun.

"Guys you really should get into the time centre," Marucho said with a sweat drop.

The chatter stopped and the young brawlers made their way to the machine, all except one.

Dan stopped in his tracks and looked at the girl who never made a move towards the time machine. Runo stood in her place facing the ground with her hair hiding her facial expressions.

"Is there anything wrong, Runo?" Dan asked and for some time he heard no answer…

"Do-Do we have to go through all this again?"

That caught the attention of the remaining brawlers.

"I don't want to die! I wanna stay together with all of you," Runo yelled, tears glittering in her eyes.

Dan1 came closer to her and instantly put his hand around her, engulfing her in a supporting hug. To tell the truth the same question roamed his head now that Runo had mentioned it. What was to happen to them in the future? It would kill to go through loosing her again! His hug tightened around Runo.

"Maybe you can." Someone voiced answering Runo's question. It made the young couple turn in the direction of the voice.

"You saw our future, yours is still to be discovered," Dan2 continued.

"Y-You mean we can change all this?"

"If you make the right choices, that is. But no one would be able to tell you what the right decisions are," Alice1 added in.

"I wouldn't want you dead too. So, take care of yourself." Dan2 said approaching the blue-haired girl.  
He put his hand on her cheek then bent down to give her a kiss on her forehead.

Runo smiled.

"Don't go saving this idiot and I grantee you'll be just fine." Shun2 commented from the side causing Runo to laugh lightly.

"Going back?" Dan1 said offering his hand to Runo

"You bet," she said taking his hand as the four brawlers entered the time center.

The young ones gazed at the two doors closing slowly, hiding the faces of their older selves one by one.

…

"Say hi to me in the future," Julie said as she and Marucho watched the doors of the weird machine closing.

"Cool," Said Marucho as the machine disappeared.

But right when it did disappear a bright light filled the place causing Marucho and Julie to cover their eyes. As they reopened it the same machine that left was before them like it never did leave.

Confused, Marucho came closer to the machine. The doors suddenly opened causing Marucho to stumble back and fall backwards on the floor with a yelp.

"That was fast," Dan's voice came. Marucho instantly jumped to his feet as he heard the sound of his friend.

"You came back? But you just left!" The confused blonde said.

"I guess they must have returned us to the exact moment we left," Alice said and the smart blonde quickly understood what was happening.

"I see, they didn't want to damage the timeline,"

"So, since you guys are back …let's continue with our outing!" Julie chimed in putting her arms on Dan and Runo's shoulders.

"Okay, okay!" Runo said as she was being dragged by the silver haired girl.

"You guys should tell me all about it!" Marucho demanded.

"Sure dude," Dan said with a cheesy grin, "With pictures too,"

"Awesome!"

And they made their way to the table beneath the old tree like something never did happen.

…

"Some things never change, huh?" Shun said. He was standing behind along with Alice as the both of them didn't follow the rest of the group.  
Alice blushed a little as she noticed he was talking to her without feeling all awkward. She smiled as respond to which Shun quickly turned away, the words of his older self still playing in his head.

"Shun?" Alice suddenly blurted, jogging the ninja out of his thoughts and face her. "About the whole engagement thing-" She was interrupted by Shun.

"Don't worry about it. I mean, now that we know we mustn't trust Spectra, maybe the whole future would change," He said, as he turned to leave for the brawler's table. "Come on we gotta be going,"

It was only mere seconds before he turned around to face the redhead with that faint blush that crossed his face.

Alice had grabbed Shun by the wrist.

"A-Alice?"

"What if…what if I don't want it to change,''

"…"

"I-I've always lik-" She was interrupted by Shun putting his hand on her mouth.

"Don't…Don't say it," He said with his head down, trying not to make an eye contact with her. Alice felt her heart would break; he didn't even let her confess.

"Those kind of things, the girl should not be the one doing it," He continued as he let go of her, now looking straight into her brown eyes.  
"Alice, will you be my girlfriend?"

Shocked at first, Alice face gleamed with a happy smile as she found herself colliding with Shun's body in a hug. He hesitantly responded to her hug.

"I'll take that as a yes," with that Alice giggled as she and Shun walked hand in hand towards the brawler's table.

…

"…yeah and Shun and Alice get engaged!" Dan happily stated.

"Like, finally!"

"I'll kill you Dan!" The group turned around to see a fuming Shun standing before them.  
Dan took that as his sign to leave and a chasing game began whilst a fit of laughter from the remaining brawlers.

* * *

"That seems fun," A sweet voice stated with a little giggle as the owner watched the chase on a screen.

"Brings back memories, huh?" A deep voice said as the blue-haired woman turned to face him.

The dark-haired male came closer to the screen, hugging the woman by the waist and giving her a light kiss on her cheek.

"I guess they'll just do fine, right?"

"Since you're here, I'm sure they will"

* * *

**So this was the final chapter, hope you all liked it :D I apologize for any Spelling mistakes.**

**Thank you again for your constant support and see you in a new story ^^**

**R&R =]**


End file.
